A Salvager and a King
by Lightning Lord Kaji
Summary: The world is falling apart. Titans are dying and people are looking to fight but hope still remains. A honest Salvager will realize his place in the world's destiny and a boastful youth will rise to meet the opposition with him. Together they will shape the future of Alrest and decide its fate or die trying. (Xenoblade 2 story with some Fate series characters and elements)
1. Life on the Clouds

I don't own Xenoblade or any of the characters, only the changes in the plot.

 **Well here we are again in a nice little new story that I just could not resist writing. Not sure if I'll keep going but I wanted to put the idea up anyway to see how its received since I haven't seen someone try this yet. I might go a few chapters in and let it rest to see what happens but anyway have fun with it!**

 **This is basically going to spoil the game for you so if you don't want spoilers turn away now!**

 **As usual I answer questions in PMs or reviews. I will either answer questions through PMs or ANs depending on the subject and/or the swiftness of chapters coming together.**

 **Oh and if you see another story that has the exact same story on it I did that on purpose to see whether more people see it under crossover or under the normal Xenoblade archive.**

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Chapter 1: The Life on the Clouds

 **Rex's POV**

"Come on…" Rex grumbled as he walked around. While it was nice living on a literal being that didn't charge rent, he could move a little slow sometimes. He even started checking his blue salvaging gear and suit to make sure it was all in working order, he had done that more than three times already.

"Rex, we will arrive at Argentum soon enough…" a horse yet gentle voice rumbled. Rex turned his gold-amber eyes towards the voice to see his horned Titan, friend and the one who lets him stay on his back staring at him.

"I know that Gramps but can we pick it up? If we go any slower I feel like we'll be late. You know how Gil can get when we keep him waiting," Rex said as he knelt down and rummaged through the crate they pulled out earlier from the cloud sea. They managed to find a couple of things thankfully.

"Hmph! That one should learn to have some patience as well as manners. I recall him being the pinnacle of respect when he was younger…" Gramps grumbled as he turned his head back towards the direction they were swimming. Rex chuckled a little bit as he scratched his dark brown hair.

"Gil is a little…rough around the edges but he means well. Besides, you know he hates diving into the cloud sea for more than enjoyment," Rex said but Gramps just huffed.

"It must be because he spends so much time around those money grubbers at Argentum! I warned him that he should have taken a different job!" Gramps lamented and Rex laughed.

"Well he doesn't like salvaging much and he's a lot better at negotiating with money than I am, he can usually make people give us twice the amount they offer and he's part of the reason why I get so many decent jobs," Rex defended and Gramps sighed.

"I suppose, I just wish that he was a kid again sometimes…" Gramps said and Rex sobered up.

"Well we were both going to grow up sooner or later. It's not like he has no heart. He sends most of his money back home too, he just has a tendency to enjoy luxuries," Rex said softly and Gramps nodded.

"Perhaps it is his right, he works hard even if he does not appear to," Gramps sighed as they swam. Thankfully before too long, Rex could make out Argentum trading post. It was essentially a big shopping district run by mainly Nopon merchants, little furballs that tended to be a little stingy with money despite how cute most of them looked, at least that's what Corinne told him. Gil would tell him that most of them were snakes hiding in fur. Rex thought most of them were nice though. In Rex's opinion, they usually all cut him good deals even without Gil's help.

"Better get ready to disembark Rex," Gramps said as he began swimming faster through the cloud sea. As they got closer to the dock Rex could make out someone specifically standing at an open dock. He stuck out like a sore thumb amongst all the dockworkers, salvagers and Nopon. Though Rex probably wasn't one to talk since his salvager gear was different from all the other salvagers. His was blue and gold compared to the usual green drab or brown. Plus well he had a sword too…

The guy on the dock couldn't have been more than seventeen or eighteen. He was relatively tall, standing just short of six feet. He had bright blonde hair that was left flat and slightly messy due to the winds probably. He was wearing black slacks along with matching shoes and a red shirt. Then he had a black coat on as well. The guy also had two golden curved blades attached to his belt, one on each side. They were ornate looking and they had strange guards that didn't seem to fit with the design of a normal sword and yet they still made the blades look fancy, one might think they were antiques. The only other thing that made the guy stick out aside from his clothes and weapons were his eyes. They were red like rubies and his pupils were slit like a snake's. His face was also twisted into a scowl that was unfortunately directed at them.

"Hey there's Gil! Move us over there Gramps!" Rex exclaimed and the titan sighed before he moved that way. Rex sighed a little since he knew that his friend was going to give him an earful probably, hopefully it would be directed at Gramps only.

"About time, I was wondering if I was going to have to wait any longer, don't you know its rude to keep me waiting?" Gil asked as he crossed his arms at them as they pulled into the port.

"Sorry Gil! The last haul we got had a giant krabble living inside it!" Rex exclaimed as Gramps pulled into the dock. He hopped off onto the dock and Gil made a small "hm" sound.

"I see…I trust you at least found something worthwhile then," Gil asked as he crossed his arms. It might have looked like he was talking down to him but Rex knew better.

"Of course!" Rex said as he pulled out one of his bags from his pack behind his back. He knocked his blue-gloved hands against the bags contents, giving off an audible metallic sound. Gil took the bag from his hand without even asking and looked into the sack.

"Hm…good enough I suppose. Melolo should be willing to give you something decent for this…with my help," Gil said in a monotone voice as he tossed the sack back at Rex.

"Whoa!" Rex fumbled with the bag for a bit before he caught it securely with a sigh of relief.

"A little warning next time would be nice Gil!" Rex sighed and Gil just scoffed.

"You should remember your manners Gil. It's the proper respect," Gramps rumbled and Gil gave the titan a sideways glance. Rex sweat dropped a little since he kind of need Gil to pay the docking fee and he had a tendency to not do it if he was annoyed enough.

"I suppose you still expect me to pay for your docking fee?" Gil asked off handed and at that moment, one of the dockworkers came up to them.

"Well if it isn't Rex, I was wondering when you might show up. Mr. Uruk has been holding the dock for a while now. Even paid for all of today and the rest of the week," the guy said and Gil elbowed the guy in the side, making him grunt in pain. Rex and Gramps chuckled at the news and Gil's attempt to hide it.

"Well we're done here, let's get going," Gil said quickly as he grabbed Rex by his arm and dragged him off.

"See you later Gramps!" Rex called back as Gil dragged him into Argentum. Rex barely managed to catch sight of a rather heavy looking ship that seemed to be made of pure metal but he couldn't get a good look.

"Nothing too dangerous happened out there I trust?" Gil asked when he finally released him to walk on his own. Rex just smiled and nodded, deciding not to comment on his "kindness".

"Of course. It was just an overgrown Krabble. It wasn't really any danger for me. You know you aren't the only one who knows arts," Rex said as he patted the folded sword on his waist. Gil smiled for a brief moment before he scowled.

"I wasn't talking about you, I mean did it damage anything? You know they cut the price in half for damaged goods…" Gil's eyes narrowed and Rex rolled his eyes.

"Yes, the things are fine…" Rex said but he knew that Gil was asking about him too.

"So did anything happen while I was away?" Rex asked as he walked past his blonde friend. He heard him scoff as he walked alongside him.

"Nothing but the usual snakes trying to swindle me. Oh and also the making sure the snakes in charge have you in mind when a salvaging job comes up," Gil drawled as he put his hands into his pockets.

"Anything promising?" Rex asked as they walked through the guild to their destination.

"Hm…I heard that there are some supposed big players coming to Argentum. I don't know much about it other than they're approaching the Chairman himself for a job. If they're approaching Bana then they must have some deep pockets…or something with a big payoff," Gil mentioned and Rex detected a sense of legitimate intrigue in his friends voice. Usually he was aloof but he actually sounded interested.

"Really? They're meeting with the chairman himself? For a job?" Rex asked. The chairman was the wealthiest man on Argentum and perhaps the entirety of Alrest aside from the kings and queens of the kingdoms of course. Other than that Rex didn't know much more about him other than the things Gil would tell him but to say everything his friend said was unpleasant was an understatement.

"That's the rumor. I have a feeling that strange ship on the other side of Argentum belongs to the supposed clients. Regardless we shouldn't worry about that though. Not like that pig will approach us with a job offer," Gil dismissed as he pulled a gold, yes a gold flask from his jacket. He unscrewed the cap and took a few gulps from it and he let out a sigh as he returned it to its place.

"You know you're still underage right?" Rex asked as they walked to the trading post. Gil waved him off and Rex shook his head at him but he smiled.

"Lets just get this over with so I can see if I can find you a better job," Gil said nonchalantly as they approached the desk. The Nopon managing the desk had yellow fur and she was wearing a purple dress and a matching hat. She flapped her little wings when she saw the pair.

"Ah Rex! It's so good to see you again and you as well Mr. Uruk!" the nopon greeted warmly. Rex smiled and gave a small wave while Gil just grunted in greeting.

"Hey Melolo! Just here with another load of salvage," Rex greeted as he pulled his bag up and put the contents on the desk. Melolo picked it up with her wings and looked it over with intrigue before she put it down.

"Me thinks I can give you one thousand for this," Melolo informed and Rex blanched at that.

"What?!" Rex exclaimed and Gil groaned in annoyance. That was half of what he got last time!

"Meh, sorry that's life. That's a lot more than I give non-friends and I give even more because of Mr. Uruk's influence. The hot items nowadays are weapons and military equipment," Melolo explained. She nodded towards the side and Rex saw a bunch of imperial soldiers loading crates.

"Me thinks that the truce between Uraya and Mor Ardain won't last much longer," Melolo explained and Rex frowned.

"Always so eager to shoot each other they forget about other needs…" Gil muttered and Rex silently agreed.

"So what does friends think? I make it worth your while, I have plenty of jobs to kick your way," Melolo proposed and Rex just shook his head.

"No, I don't want to get mixed up in that business," Rex stated.

"Ah well…Rex could make good money with the skills you have. Wasting your gifts if you ask me. Anyway where were we?" Melolo asked.

"I'll take your offer. Give me two hundred here and you know what to do with the rest," Rex explained and the nopon nodded.

"Me understand. The rest will be sent to Corinne of Fonsett Village me right?" she asked and Rex nodded.

"My my, such a darling you are! Sending money home, I wish my little dum dum littlepon did same!" Melolo exclaimed.

"Well it helps that Gramps doesn't charge rent, heh." Gil actually chuckled at that remark and Rex turned to smile at his friend. He heard the sound of a pouch hitting the desk and he turned to see that Melolo placed the pouch of gold onto the desk.

"Well I'm counting on you, thanks!" Rex praised as he collected the gold.

"Pleasure doing business Rex! And Mr. Uruk, please tell my littlepon to write more!" Melolo exclaimed and Gil laughed a little as he nodded before he motioned for Rex to move.

"Thanks again!" Rex said as he and Gil left the trading post. They were about to head back to Gramps but before they could, someone interrupted them.

"Rex!" a rather soft voice exclaimed. Rex turned to see a nopon in a business suit approach accompanied by two guards dressed in suits.

"Pupunin! Its been a bit hasn't it?" Rex greeted as he turned to face the Nopon.

"Rex seems in high spirits or is it…yes peppy! Me looking for you Rex!" the Nopon explained. Rex tilted his head at that.

"Looking for me? Do you have a job for me?" Rex asked.

"That depends. First, Rex is from Fonsett Village in Leftherian Archipelago?" Pupunin asked. Rex was about to answer but Gil stepped in front of him.

"What does our home have to do with this?" Gil asked as he crossed his arms. To his credit the Nopon didn't jump but he still let out a little yelp.

"It nothing Mr. Uruk, its just something that Chairman wanted to know. Rex, you should go to the boardroom right away!" the little Nopon said as he tried to peer at Rex instead. Rex moved in front of his friend again, who sighed.

"Wait, you want me to go to the Chairman? Why?" Rex asked.

"Chairman Bana ask for Rex by name," Pupunin responded and Rex's eyes widened in surprise. Asked for him? He had never asked for him before, why now? The immediate thing that occurred to him was that rumor Gil said about a job with the Chairman was basically just confirmed but why him?

"Rex should not keep Chairman waiting. Mr. Uruk, please do not attend, Chairman did not ask for you," Pupunin said quickly before he scurried away.

"Wait you-ugh…filthy little mon-" Rex elbowed his arm before he could finish his statement.

"Come on Gil, you promised Corinne you would stop using that word for at least a week, you only have until tomorrow now," Rex said and Gil glowered at him before he scoffed.

"Well do you think this has to do with that job the Chairman himself is sponsoring with that unknown group you mentioned?" Rex asked and Gil's face softened a bit.

"I don't see how it couldn't be. What I find alarming is that he asked for you specifically and the fact that he asked about our home and that he wants you to go alone," Gil said and Rex sighed.

"Come on Gil, don't be so paranoid, maybe he just took notice of my skills. I mean you do make me sound like the next master salvager," Rex joked but he was cut off when Gil grabbed his arm and pulled him close and leaned down to speak quietly.

"I know a snake when I see one Rex and I also know when something is too good to be true. Go to the chairman if you wish but I want you to come back before you agree to anything. I'll go to Azurda and tell him what's going on. Come to us before you agree to anything," Gil let go of him and walked off right when he finished speaking and Rex watching him go for a few moments before he sighed.

"Still seeing things through a dark lens huh?" Rex thought sadly before he went up on his way to see the chairman. Still, Gil had a point despite his paranoia. It did sound a little too good to be true.

Rex made his way up to the office and waved to the guard at the door to the boardroom and apparently they were informed to expect him since he opened the door without a word. Rex entered the room without a word and marveled at the inside. The whole place was screamed wealth with no shame. The carpet was red velvet and the furniture was polished to perfection and adorned with gold detailing, heck the stuff was probably made of muscle wood. Only reason Rex knew that was because he remembered Gil buying some for Corinne.

"Thank you for accepting summons. I am Chairman Bana of the Trade Guild," Rex turned towards the desk to see a teal furred Nopon. This one was significantly bigger than basically any other Nopon Rex had ever seen. At least three times as big! He was dressed in a suit but he was adorned with gold ornaments and jewelry.

"I-I am pleased to make your acquaintance!" Rex stuttered as he looked to his right only to see a rather attractive woman wearing only a sarong and wrappings over her chest. He blushed badly and looked back at the big Nopon.

"Me hear from friend Popunin and a…businessman Mr. Uruk that you are a salvager of renown. I have a teensie weenie request for Rex. The reward is one hundred thousand gold," Rex's train of thought was stopped cold when he heard that.

"One hundred thousand!?" Rex exclaimed. He could afford to replace Corinne's whole house with that kind of money!

"That's actually just the advance payment if you accept the job. When you complete the job you will be provided with another one hundred thousand…" Bana explained and Rex immediately got down on one knee.

"I'll do it! I swear to use every skill I possess to ensure this job is a success!" Rex said without thinking. Bana placed one of his wings on his chin as he took him in.

"You agree without even hearing details?" Bana asked. Rex's eyes widened as he realized his mistake and he was about to say something but…

"Meh if you say. I will let the crew tell you details, bring them in!" Bana commanded and the girl Rex noticed nodded before she opened the door behind her.

"Gil is going to kill me…I can already feel the bruises right now. I hope he doesn't make me spar with him twenty times again…" Rex thought in his head. Before he could think of anything to say though he heard footsteps and he looked up to see quite the group of people.

The people up front were a man and a girl along with a tiger and a…alien? The man was dressed in black armor from neck to toe. He had what Rex thought was a sword attached to his hip but he wasn't sure. He had short black hair slicked up into a bit of a point above his forehead and he had grey eyes that seemed friendly enough, Rex felt odd looking at him. Almost like…it was an act? The alien looking thing seemed to stick with him so Rex assumed they were partners.

The girl was about Rex's age if he had to guess. She had beige hair that hung down to her shoulders and she had her bangs tied into two tails alongside her face by yellow ribbons while the rest hung down freely. Her eyes were a bronze color that radiated warmth and she had…cat ears on the top of her head along with what he thought was white face paint on her cheeks and her forehead. Rex actually thought she was pretty… She wore some kind of yellow garments along with some kind of hybrid boot leggings and she had a white and red scarf/cape around her shoulders. There were two circular blades attached to her belt and Rex assumed that they were her weapons. The rather large white tiger with gold armor on its legs followed the girl obediently almost like a pet, though Rex had a feeling it was no pet.

The final member of the group who was in the back, caught Rex's interest. It was a man dressed up in silver-grey armor. He looked a bit like a samurai from one of those old books Rex read when he was little. His hair was white like snow almost. He wore a mask over his eyes but it could be made out that he had icy blue eyes. The final thing to note was he had a katana on his back though unlike the rest of the group he had no partner.

"Drivers and blades…" Rex said softly. The girl seemed to look at him like he was insignificant and Rex felt a bit defensive.

"So there is something we want to haul up but its quite a ways down. Plus with the recent shifting of currents, its been moved to an uncharted area," the silver man said in a monotone voice. Rex took his interest off the girl and turned to the man.

"Really? Haven't done that before but I like a challenge!" Rex said proudly but the man didn't react and Rex tilted his head at him.

"Bana offered to hire crew of veterans but they want small group of elite and only from Leftheria," Bana chimed in and Rex spared a glance at him.

"That's when Bana had a stroke of genius. Hire Rex!" Bana said proudly and Rex smiled proudly.

"Well you picked right! I'll get any job done!" Rex exclaimed but then the girl started laughing.

"Really? A child salvager? Jin, don't tell me we're really taking this kid? We would probably have to hire a babysitter for him too!" she said as she turned her nose up.

"What the hell? Hey don't go calling me kid, you look like my age!" Rex shouted back and she just crossed her arms at him.

"At least I don't wet the bed at the thought of a measly hundred grand," she said and Rex glared at her.

"Yeah? Well at least I don't have a bunch of babysitters follow me around!" Rex countered and she narrowed her eyes at him. Before she could say anything though her Blade stepped forward and Rex instinctively reached for his sword but he stopped when the tiger bowed.

"Rex, yes? I must implore you to forgive my lady's rudeness," he said in a rather sophisticated manner that surprised Rex. It was a complete one eighty from his driver's attitude. The girl seemed to take offense to that and she stood on her toes as she glared at her blade.

"Dromarch! What di-"

"Enough Nia!" the other man interrupted her before she could finish and Rex looked to him now.

"I suppose you have a point though. Well it should be easy enough to decide!" Rex drew his sword and slashed towards the man right as he pulled his weapon out and ignited it. His grey eyes widened in surprise before they hardened and he pushed him back quickly before sending a flurry of slashes against him. Rex ducked or side stepped all of them and jumped back and held his sword in his stance.

"What's your problem?" Rex shouted in surprised anger and the man chuckled a little before his blade turned off.

"Well well…more than meets the eye after all. Nia, your words ring falsely," the man said and Nia glared at him.

"Malos what the hell? I didn't say anything about beating on a kid," Nia chided but the one named Malos just laughed it off.

"No but you did think that the kid wasn't up to it. Besides now we know," Malos said as he looked at Rex.

"You don't look like a driver; that weapon you're carrying certainly isn't a Blade. Your instincts are pretty sharp for someone your age too. Plus those were arts that you were using. Where did you learn to move like that?" Malos asked. Rex didn't dare lower his sword though despite the supposed test ending.

"Gramps taught me a few things and my brother taught me even more," Rex wanted to say that if his brother was there they would be living pincushions for that stunt but that probably wouldn't help anything.

"Really? Is one of them a driver? Or are they both drivers?" Malos asked, intrigued. Rex still kept his guard up but he saw no harm in answering.

"No, neither of them are actually. Gramps just thought it was fun and I suppose he wanted us to know how to defend ourselves. My brother is the one who takes it up as a desire to be the best fighter and I guess he sort of just dragged me along to keep me in shape," Rex answered and then Malos shrugged.

"Well regardless they seem to have imparted some good reflexes and instincts into you. Plus you got guts. I think you'll do just fine. We'll take him and the others you recommended, Bana. Assuming he still wants to accept this job," Malos said as he glanced at the chairman and then back to Rex.

That brought pause to Rex. On one hand he would be earning two hundred thousand gold. Plus he was sure that he would get major recognition for whatever this job was. If it wasn't for Gil's influence he probably would have just jumped in without a second glance despite the rather unexpected "test". He had half a mind to still just agree anyway. Still though…they still haven't said anything about the job...

"Can I hear more about what this job is about?" Rex asked but Malos just shrugged.

"Sorry kid. That's part of the reason why we're paying you so much. We want to keep this quiet, is that ok with you?" Malos answered and Rex thought about it some more. He couldn't say no…but perhaps…yes that would work out for sure!

"I'll go as long as I can bring someone with me," Rex said and Malos raised one of his eyebrows at him.

"Oh? That sounds reasonable enough though I have to ask, who is it?" Malos asked.

"He's from Fonsett just like me. He works here actually, his name is Gil," Rex answered and Malos crossed his arms as he seemed to think about the idea.

"Very well. Though we will be sharing your pay, is that clear?" Jin answered instead as he stepped forward. Malos seemed surprised but he shrugged with a easygoing grin.

"If you're sure," Malos said as he looked back at Rex.

"Well you and your friend better work hard then," with those final words Malos walked out of the room with his blade and Jin in toe. Nia let out an exasperated sigh before she cast him a side glare. Then she left after her companions while her blade gave him a polite bow before following his driver. Then Rex turned back to the chairman.

"Hm…am surprised you would ask Mr. Uruk to come, he not Salvager no? Meh, Bana not care as long as job done," Bana said as he picked up a pen with one of his arm-wings and wrote something down. Then he plopped a rather plump bag of gold onto the table.

"Go, here your advanced pay. Take it an buy whatever equipment you need then go to starboard dock tomorrow. I have procured a excellent vessel for this job," Bana said dismissively. Rex's eyes sparked a little as he quickly took the bag of gold and gave the chairman a small bow.

"Count on it, sir!" with that Rex left the office with the bag of gold in toe. Then he realized something important…

"Oh…I probably better tell Gil and Gramps about the job…and that Gil is coming with me…" Rex sighed as he scratched the back of his head. Without much else to do, he quickly made his way to the docks where he left Gramps. He made sure to buy some new gear and see a carrier to send the rest of his "payment" off to Fonsett before he went to see Gil and Gramps again.

As he neared the area he saw Gil sitting on the edge of the docks with Gramps. They seemed to be talking about something. It must have been important since none of the workers were close to them. Gil probably scared them off. Rex chuckled a little at the thought before he approached them. As he got close though he could hear what they were saying.

"Have the headaches still persisted?" Azurda asked and Rex paused before he announced his presence. He was positioned before some crates still so they probably couldn't see him if he stayed still and didn't make noise.

"Yeah. They've been spiking a lot more lately though and my dreams have been…odd. I keep…I keep seeing these flashes of battles. I keep seeing this guy or woman with long green hair. Then I also see a woman with blonde hair wielding a golden sword. I can't make out their faces though, it's…hazy at best. Most of them are actually but they've been a bit clearer these past few days. I've been having these flashes while I'm awake sometimes too now…" Gil said softly, something that he had not done in a very long time.

"Is there something else?" Azurda asked and the blonde seemed hesitant before he sighed.

"Just this morning I had a vision of two other girls, I only think they're girls because their voices sounded that way. I couldn't see them clearly either but…I know that one was red and the other was white and green I think. They called my name, my full name. What do you think that means? Do you think that these…images are correlated with my growing powers?" Gil asked softly. He actually sounded…confused? Worried? Rex wanted to hear more but at that moment he stepped on a rope and ended up tripping himself.

"Ah!" Rex hit the docks with a light thud face first. He groaned as he sat up, with a hand on his face.

"Rex?!" Gramps exclaimed and Rex glanced at them to see them both looking at him with surprise.

"You really need to watch where you're going more. The other Mon-er…workers trip enough and you're anything but one of them," Gil said snidely, his usual tone returning. Rex sighed since he made himself look clumsy but thankfully neither of them seemed to think he was listening in on them…or perhaps they just wanted to avoid the subject. Before Rex could think more on that though Gil cleared his throat.

"So how did your meeting with Bana go? I presume that he offered you some kind of job?" Gil asked in a more sensible tone. Rex chuckled nervously and scratched the back of his head. Gil's eyes narrowed at him suspiciously and Azurda did as well. Oh boy…

"Rex? What did you do?" Azurda asked.

"Well…I kind of already said yes…and I kind of said Gil would come with me…" Rex said and Gil's eyes flashed.

"You what?!" the blonde exclaimed. Rex chuckled nervously.

"I also got paid half in advance and I sort of spent some of it…and sent the rest back to Corinne so I can't exactly refuse now…that about sums it up! I'll see you up at Lemur Inn Gil!" Rex said quickly before he ran off.

"Hold it! That does not sum it up! Rex! Get back here!" Azurda shouted after him.

"You little brat!" Gil shouted. Rex ran quickly to get away from his friend and mentor. He didn't look behind himself for a bit and quickly ran into the guild again. After a few seconds of running he finally allowed himself to look around to see if Gil kept up with him. He sighed in relief when he didn't see his golden friend chasing after him.

"Guess I lost him…or he's waiting somewhere to ambush me…" Rex shivered a little at the latter thought. He sighed and went up to the floor where the guild's inn was.

Thankfully he ran into no such ambush when he went up the stairs. In fact when he got up to the inn, the keeper didn't even say Gil bought a room already or that he was waiting for him. Rex thought that he was in the home clear when he opened his door only to freeze when he saw a familiar blonde sitting in the room. His back was to him as he lounged around in a chair, staring out the window at the cloud sea.

"Hello, Rex…" Gil said and Rex sighed since he knew there was no getting out of it now. He closed the door behind him silently and let out another deep sigh.

"Relax, I'm not mad anymore," Gil sighed as he turned his seat towards him and Rex was surprised. He wasn't? That was…rather fast.

"Really?" Rex asked, suspiciously. Perhaps he was trying to lull him into a sense of security.

"Yes, I'm certain. Well…maybe a little…annoyed but I'm not going to try anything. I'll even go with you on this journey of yours assuming that I'm not going to be salvaging…" Gil said and Rex nodded.

"Hm. So I assume then that I am being employed as some kind of guard then?" Gil asked distastefully and Rex nodded again. Gil seemed "annoyed" to put it lightly if the way he tensed was any indication but he sighed and nodded.

"Very well then nothing to be done about it now. I can't very well let your word become known as frail," he said and Rex smiled in his mind. Perhaps this would go well after all.

"So…tell me about our supposed employers. What was your read on them?" Gil asked as he held his hand out and a literal portal opened up and he reached in to pull a pitcher and a golden cup out.

"That's still weird to see no matter how many times I see it," Rex thought as Gil poured the pitcher's contents, wine, into the cup.

"Well there are three of them. Or…five really, maybe six. They're Drivers and Blades," Rex said and Gil's brow furrowed but he motioned for him to continue as he took a sip from his cup.

"Well the Drivers are named Malos, Jin and Nia. Malos is this guy with an air of um…arrogance I think, I mean he did try to attack me to see if I was up for the job…I don't know what to make of him right now, his Blade didn't really do anything either. Jin is a bit a mystery, he didn't speak much and he wears a mask. I didn't see him with a Blade but maybe it was off on their ship or something," Rex explained and paused when he saw a conflicted look cross his friend's face, like he was having a headache or something.

"Gil?" Rex asked and Gil shook his head and rubbed his temples slightly before he drank more.

"Its nothing. What about the last one, Nia was it? That sounds like a lady's name," Gil pressed after he finished. Rex huffed a little bit as he thought about the girl he saw.

"Oh well she's more of a girl than a lady. She should be my age but she acts like she's Miss Important or something! She kept calling me kid even though she was the one acting like a brat! I don't get how her Blade stands her since he's so respectful while she's so mean!" Rex exclaimed and Gil actually laughed. Rex was confused by that reaction and paused his rant.

"Sounds like she made quite the impression on you! In fact I would say that you have a crush on her!" Gil stated and Rex went scarlet.

"What?! I don't have a crush! I don't even know if I even like her! She doesn't like me either!" Rex stammered and Gil just laughed harder.

"Oh that might just mean she likes you, heh. I didn't think you would actually catch someone since you're so oblivious. I guess I did get some wisdom into that head of yours!" Gil laughed in his usual manner. Rex didn't know if his face could get any warmer.

"Gil not helping!" Rex shouted and Gil stopped laughing but he seemed amused still.

"Right well I won't know for sure until I meet her myself. If anything this journey will be a little amusing at least. I praise you for seeking to entertain me on this little forced adventure," Gil said offhanded and Rex sighed, giving up as he sat down on one of the beds. At least he was in a better mood.

"Rex, you should have turned away from this. Azurda and I both think this was a reckless move, even if the pay is two hundred thousand gold. That's only a bit more than the income I send them if its been a bad month," Gil explained in a fully serious tone suddenly and Rex sighed but he nodded.

"I know Gil, but I couldn't help myself. Besides, I wanted to try and contribute more like you do" Rex said softly. Gil frowned gently and sighed as he placed his cup down and stood up. He walked over to him and placed his hand on Rex's shoulder.

"You don't need to try and match me. I just happened to be in a business that provides like it does. You don't need to worry about it; I doubt the others mind about it. The fact that you do send money back at all is admirable considering your age and the fact that you're not the oldest," Gil explained gently and Rex sighed.

"You were a year younger than me when you started weren't you? Corinne let you go without any fuss if I recall, right?" Rex asked and Gil sighed as he stepped back and sat back in his chair.

"Yes, but you do not have my…"gifts" and you know that. Corinne knows that I can take care of myself and I suspect that's why Corinne even let you come out here, because she knew I would watch you," Gil explained as he picked up his cup and downed it in one go. Rex wanted to argue but he knew that he was probably right.

Corinne wasn't overprotective exactly but she would definitely raise red flags if she thought you were in trouble. He remembered one time when one of the kids asked her what it would take for her to stop looking over their shoulders all the time and she said that they "needed to have unnatural abilities and strength" for her to feel safe letting them watch for themselves. She was a good woman; she loved them all like her own children so no one held it against her if she was fretting over them.

"Regardless, Corinne is not here and the deed has been done so now we have to go along with your plan. Hopefully Azurda and I are worried for nothing," Gil sighed as he opened up another portal and the handle of a sword came out of it. Rex watched him with interest as he pulled a intricate sword out.

"You're still working on that? I thought you lost interest since it doesn't work?" Rex asked as Gil placed the weapon on his lap.

"It does work, I can feel the power in it and besides; it wouldn't be in my treasury if it was useless. I can't just rely on Enki and this one seems interesting," Gil explained as he examined the sword again.

Calling it a sword was accurate and yet it also wasn't. It was certainly shaped like a buster sword with a wide blade. Except there wasn't really a "blade" on it per say, what should have been the blade was actually a blunt edge. Gil said it was supposed to open up and Rex could agree with that but open up into what exactly? The weapon was white with gold highlights and detailing and the hilt was gold as well. There was a strange green gem placed just above the hilt of the blade. It was like a rectangle but it had two little arms stretching out like it was supposed to be a cross almost. There was another green gem placed on the base of the "blade" as well that was shaped like a skinny diamond almost. It was a strange weapon that Gil found in his "treasury" around a month ago. He said that he found it randomly one day while he was taking inventory and he just refused to stop trying to make it work ever since.

"If you don't want to just rely on Enki you could just start shooting them with your "treasury" I doubt anyone could avoid them if you shot so many at them," Rex said and Gil gave him a strange look.

"True but its not like I can create a hundred portals, the limit is only ten or so. The Bab-ilu has its limits in that sense. Besides, I'm not supposed to be showing my treasury so easily unless things are dire," Gil explained as he started wiping the blade down and examining it like there was some switch on it that he hasn't seen yet.

"Well you used to only be able to open two of the things at once, maybe you'll be able to just stand there and blast people without lifting a finger one day," Rex said and Gil gave him another look.

"While the idea sounds…interesting I doubt I will get to that point. Besides, I'm already the best fighter in the world," Gil boasted and Rex rolled his eyes.

"So did they tell you anything at all about our job? Or was it completely anonymous?" Gil asked next in a rather cheerful mood.

"Well they said that we were going to be salvaging something deep in the cloud sea in an uncharted area. From what I inferred there's actually going to be quite a few salvagers going on this journey, I'm just one of them," Rex explained and Gil had a thoughtful look on his face.

"Interesting…perhaps this actually will be worth my time. I can't lie, I am curious what they would be seeking out there…" Gil mentioned.

"That's kind of why I agreed also. I'm curious too, the money was just the deal sealer," Rex explained and Gil nodded.

"Well there isn't much to do about it now aside from wait for tomorrow then," Rex said as he kicked back on his bed.

"Actually how about you tell me about this girl you seem interested in. I think Corinne will want to know about this so I need to know everything before I send off a message," Gil said off handed.

"Oh sure I-Gil! I DO NOT HAVE A CRUSH ON HER!"

* * *

 **Huh I actually did that, well it turned out nicely I think. Thoughts?**


	2. Calm Before the Storm

I own nothing

 **I apologize for the time skips in this chapter. I don't particularly like doing them but I had no idea what else to do aside from fluff**

Chapter 2: Calm Before the Storm

* * *

 **Rex's POV**

"Wow…the Chairman is actually wheeling out the Maelstrom for this job huh…talk about deep pockets…" Rex said to himself as he and Gil stood in front of the massive salvager ship at the docks. They were supposed to leave very soon and from the way everyone was running around, it seemed they would leave even sooner than that.

"Hm…at least we're getting the best vessel…well the best one Argentum owns anyway…" Gil mentioned off handed and Rex looked at him. He was dressed the same for the most part except he had a full white coat on with his hood pulled up for whatever reason. His face was basically shaded now from view, Rex didn't really understand why he did it though. Before he could ask him though he turned his head and on queue…

"Honestly, gawking at a ship…what are you twelve? Wait maybe you are twelve…" Rex fumed a little at those words and turned to face the bratty girl from the other day.

"What's my age got to do with anything? Besides you're not much older than me if at all," Rex declared. Nia crossed her arms at him, unimpressed while her Blade seemed a little embarrassed.

"Yeah well at least I don't go gawking at everything I see…" Nia said snidely and Rex glared at her before he looked down and saw one of the ropes was basically around her leg.

"Yeah, well you better watch where you're standing. Because if anything casts off right now, you'll get pulled off with it or lose a leg…" Rex said and Nia's eyes widened before she jumped away like a cat would from water.

"Nya!" Rex laughed at her reaction and he heard Gil give off a few chuckles of his own.

"Now look who's gawking," Rex joked and Nia glared daggers at him.

"Why you little…" Nia's eyes seemed to flash and Rex thought he saw claws extend from her hands.

"Now now, why don't you play nice," Gil intervened as he stepped up. Nia calmed down at least from Gil's interference and she gave him a look over.

"So I assume you're supposed to be his "brother"?" Nia asked as she crossed her arms again.

"Oh he said that did he? How presumptuous but yes you could say that I suppose…Rex told me you're the one who thinks she's older than she actually is. From what I see that's actually true. Did I miss anything Rex?" Gil asked the last part a little cheekily and Rex laughed while Nia fumed.

"Hmph! I guess rudeness runs in the family," Nia grumbled and surprisingly Gil just reached down and pat her head as if she was a little kid. He ruffled her hair up a bit like one would do to a child and she seemed surprised that he had the nerve.

"Heh, I like her Rex! You have my blessing to pursue him, Nia and you better return it in kind Rex!" Gil boasted as he went off to get on the ship. Rex flushed at his remark and he saw Nia did as well.

"He seems friendly…" Dromarch mentioned and Rex wanted to mention that he wasn't always like that but he was far too embarrassed for that. Nia was too if the way she was staring at the ground was any indication. Hm…she actually looked a little cute like th-NO! Rex shook his head quickly and cleared his throat.

"Ahem! Right well that was Gil; my brother and friend. He's in a good mood now and I think he likes you, I don't know if that's good or bad yet. So…please just leave him alone unless he approaches you," Rex explained quickly and Nia seemed to regain her composure at that and she just turned her nose up at him.

"Hm…" she didn't respond to him. Rex sighed and her Blade strode up and gave him a small bow.

"Forgive my lady again. She means no offense," he said respectfully. Nia seemed like she was going to go off on him again but before that could, Jin came up to them.

"Cease, Nia. You, they say that you're on night watch since you were late," he said briskly but Rex nodded.

"You got it!" he took the opportunity to slip away at that point. He might as well get up to his post now, he didn't want to risk getting stuck in a room with Nia again and he didn't feel like seeing Gil right now since he was probably going to tease him again. Oh well…hopefully no one would need him for a while…hopefully…

 **Later**

Rex sighed as he watched the cloud sea pass by. The day was thankfully uneventful thankfully, no one needed him and he was aloud to just do what he wanted and he didn't get tracked down by Nia and Gil was…actually he didn't know where he was. Thankfully no one bothered him other than getting him to come down to eat so he managed to get away and nothing happened. Still though it does get old just standing around in once place for so long with the only difference being the sunlight going away and being replaced with moonlight. Maybe he should have just sat through whatever teasing Gil would have put him through.

"Its way too cold up here, how come you're not wearing anything else?" Rex turned to see Nia coming up to the post. She was shivering gently and rubbing her arms down.

"Its you," Rex said surprised, she had to know he was up there so why did she come up?

"My name is Nia," she said in an even tone for once.

"Ok then, Nia why are you up here?" Rex asked, genuinely confused.

"Well the others downstairs are getting up to drinking. You should probably go and join them. I doubt they would mind since you've been up here the whole day," Nia said as she went to lean on one of the railings.

"Why don't you join them then?" Rex asked.

"Heh, well its not that I hate it but well having a headache later isn't something I need right now," Nia said a little jokingly. Ok…so this was a bit of a one eighty from how she was treating him earlier. Better not waste this stroke of luck.

"Haha…you wouldn't last long as a salvager then. Swim like a fish and drink like them too, the Salvager Code," Rex said with a small laugh. To her credit Nia didn't scoff but she seemed amused at least.

"Really? Guess I won't be looking to change careers anytime soon," Nia sighed sarcastically. Right like anyone would give up being a Driver.

"Well you probably get paid a lot more than I do since you're a Driver," Rex sighed as he leaned back on the railing to look out at the sea.

"Right then, so…Rex, why did you become a salvager then? I've seen your brother and heard people talk about him; you could probably be working with him if you wanted to. Is he doing something you don't approve of?" Nia asked and Rex shook his head with an amused laugh.

"No, he's not doing anything bad. His business actually helps people and he makes a lot of investments. He has amazing luck with those actually and he knows how to sniff out a snake. That's not really for me though, I wouldn't know a snake unless it told me and well I'm just not cut out for the kind of life he leads even if it's a bit more exciting," Rex explained. Nia made a "hm" sound at that.

"I became a salvager because of the World Tree…" Rex continued as he nodded towards the giant tree in the distance.

"The tree?" Nia asked.

"Yeah, you come across a lot of things when you're salvaging. Some of it is junk and other things are treasure but they're all from people that have passed. I can't help but hope that maybe someday I'll be able to find a way into the tree and climb up to the top and find Elysium," Rex explained and Nia started giggling.

"Elysium? Really? You believe in that fairy tale that they tell little kids?" she asked after she got herself under control. Rex was perturbed though.

"Yeah, there's nothing wrong with believing in that right? A place where everyone can live in peace and harmony, a place where we don't have to fight over the land that we're slowly losing. Isn't that something worth believing in?" he asked.

"Well…no one can tell you what to believe in sure…hm…" Nia said, coming back to a more mature tone. She crossed her arms again and her gaze seemed to stare more intently at him like she was trying to see something that might be hidden.

"What?" Rex asked.

"Nothing, its just I've come to believe that people are quite selfish but you…you're not," Nia said and Rex blushed slightly in embarrassment, a compliment from her was new.

"Your parents must be proud," Nia said again.

"I don't know, they're not around anymore," Rex shrugged and Nia's ear seemed to flatten.

"Oh…I'm sorry…" she said softly.

"Don't worry about it. I'm not the only one who's lost their parents in this world. When I asked, Gramps and Gil told me that they died when I was very young, I hardly remember them myself really…" Rex explained as he shrugged his shoulders.

"Ah…your brother must miss them greatly then since he remembers?" Nia mentioned and Rex chuckled a little.

"Well not exactly. Gil isn't really my brother," he said and Nia looked surprised.

"Really?" her hazel eyes went wide at the revelation.

"Yeah, we grew up together and we just stuck together ever since Gramps introduced us, so we're brothers in that sense," Rex explained.

"Gramps? Oh, you mean the one who taught you to use arts?" Nia asked.

"Pretty much. He taught both of us to use arts really and he practically helped raise us," Rex said fondly.

"He sounds like a good person," Nia said with a smiled and Rex nodded.

"He is but he's not like us," he explained.

"Not like us?" Nia asked confused but Rex didn't answer that. He didn't feel like telling her a titan was one of his parental figures in life.

"Well regardless, you're ok kid. Keep those beliefs close, they'll prove…fruitful in your life, I just know it. After all, I would know since I feel a similar way," she explained as she turned around and walked back down to the main deck. Rex sighed as she left before he smiled.

"Well at least that's one problem fixed, now I just need to worry about whatever this job is…"

* * *

 **Gil's POV**

Gil smiled as he listened in on Rex and Nia's conversation. He was only messing with Rex when he was teasing him about a crush but now? Well…he would try to help his friend out if he actually went down that path. Still though something felt…wrong.

Gil's smile faded into a scowl as he thought about their "employers". He'd seen them all by this point and the leader and his lackey gave him a bitter taste in his mouth for some reason. Something didn't feel right, actually almost everything about this felt wrong. Azurda had the same thoughts when Gil told him about what Rex got himself into in full detail but instead of breaking off the deal, he wanted Gil to tag along and see what was going to happen. Gil would have preferred to go with his plan but if the old man wanted to let things play out then he would go along with it, for now.

The names of two of their employers, specifically Jin and Malos seemed to set something off in Azurda. Come to think of it, they set something off in Gil too, a big headache like he was supposed to know something about them. Regardless, the old titan didn't shed much light if any. He seemed very…troubled though and if there was one thing Gil respected about him, it was that he feared nothing. If these people were really so scary then why had he commanded Gil to follow them? Why not just pull Rex away from these people if they were so dangerous? Heck why did he practically command Gil to cover his face from them? Things were going in an uncomfortable way and Gil really hoped that Azurda wasn't trying to use Rex as bait.

"What a nice kid…" Gil's head perked up when he heard Nia's voice get closer. He turned and saw her coming down the stairs and his eyes narrowed under his hood. She noticed him of course as she got down the flight.

"Your brother has a good head on his shoulders," she said and he tilted his head slightly.

"Perhaps, though his sense of morality tends to get him in trouble every now and then…he always seems to invite the snakes into the den without noticing…" Gil muttered with an edge. Nia seemed to take offense to that since her eyes narrowed.

"I don't know what you're implying but you should not make assumptions," Nia said as she crossed her arms and Gil merely scoffed as he pushed off from the wall to walk past her but he stopped when he was at her side.

"Remember, Rex said that I can smell a snake but he forgot to mention that I also tend to see them too. I don't trust you or your companions, no matter how much you're paying. I don't care whatever agenda you have but Rex better not be harmed or else…" Gil warned and he smirked when he saw her twitch gently. As interesting as she was to him, she was associated with people that he was told to be wary of and that meant he would have to watch her too. Hopefully this time he was wrong but he found that he seldom was…

* * *

 **Rex's POV**

"This ship looks ancient…" Rex said as he pulled his diving helmet off. He and the rest of the crew were currently watching as their prize was hauled up out of the sea.

After yet another uneventful hour, the ship had come to a stop and all salvagers were called down to prepare for a dive. It was rare that Rex was on jobs that required more than two or three salvagers but when he got down there he could see why they needed a crew. The thing they hauled up was a ship, a downed ship to be precise and it was huge, even bigger than the Maelstrom. It would have taken three salvagers forever to attach the inflatables to the ship but they managed to do it all in a few minutes since there was a few of them. Now though that he could see it above the sea, it was definitely something more. It didn't look like any ship Rex was familiar with, it must have been down there for a long time.

"For a piece of junk it looks remarkably well preserved…" Gil said next to him. He still had his hood up for whatever reason even though the sun was down and it wasn't raining.

"Alright, everyone assigned to combat duty come on!" Malos suddenly shouted as the ramp was extended. Rex thought he heard Gil growl in annoyance at the command.

The Drivers and Blades went first while Rex and Gil went next, followed by the rest of the group assigned to the boarding party. They were not impeded at all really as they got on board but when they went to enter the hull, the door opened suddenly, revealing a rather large monster, something far bigger than the usual krabble.

"Watch it!" someone shouted and Rex reached for his sword as the beast strode forth, screeching loudly. Except before it reached them, the drivers sprung forth.

Malos and Nia drew their weapons and their Blades started streaming some form of energy to them, ether probably. They sprung forward past Jin who didn't even move a muscle. The pair of drivers were relentless as they laid their assault. In quick movements that Rex managed to catch, they brought the beast down easily. Rex had never seen a Blade and Driver fight before…that was just…amazing…

"Passable I suppose…" he heard Gil mutter; he didn't even go for a weapon at all.

"More like incredible!" Rex exclaimed and Gil scoffed. Nia seemed to appreciate the praise since she stood tall while Malos seemed uninterested.

"No need to get hysterical, it was a piece of cake," Nia said casually.

"Piece of cake…they killed that thing so fast…it was like they were monsters themselves…" someone else said and Nia glared at the group around them but said nothing.

"Enough, everyone stays here to guard the surface, we'll go inside," Malos announced and everyone around Rex seemed to let out a sigh of relief. Gil just shrugged and was about to turn away and Rex was going to follow him but someone called for him.

"You, you're going in with us," Jin commanded and Rex turned in surprise to see him looking straight at him.

"Me?" Rex asked in surprise. Jin nodded and gave him a "come here" motion. Before Rex could go though, Gil held his arm out in front of him.

"Hold on, if he goes then I go," he stated and Jin spared him a glance.

"No, you will stay up here," he said simply. Gil growled in annoyance and stepped forward.

"I think you misunderstood me. That wasn't a request, it was a statement," Gil said icily and Jin's eyes narrowed slightly. Malos hefted his weapon onto his shoulder as he stepped in front of his leader.

"I think you're forgetting the hierarchy here buddy. We paid you to follow orders not make demands," Malos said and Gil reached inside his coat but Rex grabbed his hand.

"Gil! Its ok, I'll go. Don't make a big deal about this!" Rex shouted and Gil glared at him for a few moments. Rex felt his arm tense as he grabbed ahold of his sword but after another moment he released it and tore his arm away from Rex and crossed his arms.

"Thirty minutes, if you're not back by then I'm going in there," Gil said simply as he stormed off. Rex sighed in relief before he went towards the group of Drivers.

"Hm…that one has guts too, a lot of them too. Taking on a group of Drivers and Blades without even being a Driver himself," Malos said, interested and Rex chose not to state that Gil had something else to use.

"Lets move," Jin said simply as he walked into the ship uncaring. Malos and his Blade followed him in and after Rex and Nia shared a look they followed.

 **Later**

The journey through the massive relic was relatively uneventful, which meant that it was way more eventful than most of Rex's jobs. The ship was falling apart basically, the inside had suffered far more than the outside but that wasn't the main issue. There were Krabble, Jellyfish and other nasty sea creatures down in the hold. If Rex was by himself it would have been difficult to fight his way through all of them but thanks to his new companions every fight was dealt with rather easily, he didn't even have to help out really.

"This looks like the last floor, finally," Malos said as they finally finish their trek through the halls and down the flight of seemingly unending stairs. The base of the ship certainly looked less run down than the rest of the ship, hopefully that meant whatever they were looking for was still salvageable.

"About time, I like fish but not this kind…" Nia muttered and Rex laughed a little. Nice to know those ears weren't just for show.

"Stay alert," Jin said simply, silencing any chatter. They walked through the floor silently as they made their way to…what Rex thought were doors. There was something in front of them, obscuring his vision. It wasn't until they got closer that Rex realized what was really obscuring his vision when it started moving.

"Oh great…" Nia sighed. The thing that started moving was actually a rather large monster, a Megalo to be exact. It was basically a giant shark with four limbs, quite the fearsome looking monster.

"Well we better get to it," Malos said as he drew his sword and ignited it while Nia did the same. Jin didn't make a move; in fact he didn't lift a finger at all in any of the fights so far. Rex felt a little annoyed about that but he didn't have time to really question him about it.

"Right…" Rex thought as he drew his sword and got into his stance. The Megalo roared viciously at them, showing the rows of razor sharp teeth within.

"Hiah!" Malos sprung forward and slashed his blade at the beast. To the Megalo's credit, it had the sense to lean back, something every other monster had not done so far.

"Gemini Loop!" Nia dashed in and hit the beast in the side though, her twin rings cutting deep into the creature's hide. The Megalo roared in anger and pain at the strike and snapped at Nia but Dromarch activated some kind of defense and a shield appeared around his Driver, which reflected the Megalo's attack. Rex saw his moment and sprung in on the creature's exposed side.

"Double Spinning Edge!" Rex spun with his sword twice, delivering two slashes against the creature's hide. They weren't exactly deep but they definitely caught the Megalo's attention since it turned its gaze back on him. Before it could do anything though, Nia literally did a hard uppercut with her blade, knocking it off balance.

"Die!" Malos literally jumped above the monster and slammed down into it's head and drove his blade right through its skull. The Megalo's motions ceased for a moment and then the next moment it slumped down onto the ground, dead.

"Well that was a little exciting," Malos said casually as he hopped down onto the other side of the corpse as Jin simply walked by. Rex and Nia followed after them as they came up to a pair of large doors or maybe it was one big door.

"Look Jin, its Addam's Crest…" Malos said and Rex followed his gaze and saw a blue symbol. It had two long wings surrounding a flame with what Rex thought was a tree in the center.

"Who's crest?" Rex thought before Jin pointed at the door.

"You, Salvager. Open the door," he commanded and Rex looked back to him in confusion.

"Me? Why me?" Rex asked.

"Only one of your people can open it," Jin said simply and that made Rex pause.

"What the heck is that supposed to mean?" Rex asked but Malos cut him off.

"We're paying you to follow commands not ask questions! Do it!" Rex flinched at what he said. He had half a mind to refuse and go back up to Gil but at the same time Malos had a point even if he was being an ass.

"Ok ok…jeez, talk about abusive employers…" Rex sighed as he stepped ahead, he caught Nia's eye as he passed.

"How the heck am I supposed to open this anyway?" Rex asked himself as he stopped in front of the door. He sighed and reached out to touch the symbol and surprisingly it lit up when he touched it and then the door retracted itself and opened up.

"A release switch?" Rex asked, he'd never seen one do that before though. The door revealed a dark hall with icy fog and yet another door at the end of it.

"There should be another door at the end, open that too!" Jin commanded. Rex would have done it out of curiosity even if he didn't tell him too. He went to the end of the hall and he heard Nia and Dromarch follow him in.

"Ok so just like this?" Rex asked as he touched the same crest he saw on the doors. Like before the symbol lit up and the doors split open for him.

"Well don't you have the magic touch?" Nia asked sarcastically. Rex ignored her though since the contents of the chamber behind the doors surprised him.

"Whoa…" Rex ran into the room quickly and stopped when something caught his eye. There in front of him in a clear sarcophagus held up by some kind of machine was a girl.

The girl or young woman looked to be asleep. She had her hands crossed over her chest like she was praying. She was wearing a black under suit with red armor with green gems adorning her armor at least for her top and her arms. She wore a pair of shorts and stockings on her lower body. Her outfit was also lined with glowing green lines. Her outfit was a little showy but Rex was more focused elsewhere. He was more focused on her face. She was very beautiful, the prettiest girl he'd ever seen actually aside from maybe Nia…She had shoulder length red hair and she was wearing green emerald earrings and she even wore a small gold tiara with one of her trademark emeralds in it.

"What's she doing there?" Rex asked and then he felt a shift in the air and he looked down.

"What…" there in front of him, impaled in a pedestal of some sort was a sword.

The sword was red like the girl above and it was at the length of the sword he had on his back but it had no actual blade, so Rex assumed it was supposed to open up and project a blade similar to how the Driver's weapons seemed to work. Rex noted that the material seemed eerily similar to that sword Gil was trying to make work. It even had the same kind of gem implanted into it right above the hilt. Unlike Gil's sword though it was a bit slimmer and one end was a little jagged and the hilt had a guard that went over the hilt to give more protection to his hand.

"…" Rex reached out to grab the sword.

"Don't touch that!" Rex heard Jin's command right as his hand enclosed around the sword. The gem in the blade glowed brightly for a moment and Rex felt…power surge through him that was the only way he could explain it. He drew the sword from the pedestal and gazed at it in wonder.

"Wh-ugh!" suddenly Rex felt a sharp pain in his chest and his ability to breath suddenly cut off. He looked down and saw a slim blade sticking out of his chest, covering in his blood. Then the blade was suddenly ripped from his chest and slashed down on the sword in his hand, shattering it into oblivion.

"Rex!" those were the last words Rex heard before darkness took him and he lost feeling in everything…

* * *

 **Wow this one was annoying to write. Well action is coming up next so don't worry!**


	3. A Salvager and a Prince are Born

I own nothing

Chapter 3: A Driver and a Prince is Born

* * *

 **Rex's POV**

Rex felt nothing for a time, he sighed as he wondered what would come next and he turned onto his side and realized something. He turned? And…he felt…grass? And…wait, he was breathing?!

"Wha-" Rex shot up from his sitting position but he had to squint since he got hit by bright light.

"ugh…where am I? I thought…I was on the ship and I…got…" Rex looked down at his chest and saw that the wound that should have been there was gone.

"What's going on?" Rex thought as he stood up. He was standing in a field of grass and he saw a tree in the distance and a…girl was standing under it overlooking something. Wait…wasn't she the girl he saw in that room?

"Hello!" Rex called out as he approached her. She turned around to face him and he noticed that her eyes were red and she actually had some kind of cape or scarf flapping behind her.

"Oh…hello," she greeted. Rex blinked since he could have sworn she sounded stressed when she spoke.

"Um…where are we?" Rex asked as he got closer to her. The strange girl turned around and gazed back at whatever she was looking at before.

"This is…Elysium…the land where mankind once lived with their creator…" she said and Rex's eyes widened when he reached her and saw exactly what she was looking at. They were overlooking a lush land and Rex could make out a town sitting in the middle of it all along with a lake that filled the gap between them. He could even hear church bells from the town. It looked so…peaceful, he didn't see any signs of battle or scars on the land, it was just…perfect…

"Whoa…this is really it…" Rex gaped as he took it all in. He turned to face the girl again and she smiled at him. He was about to ask for her name but something else caught his eye. On her chest was a glowing gem but it was different from the lights and emeralds adorning her, it was the same shape as the gem on the red sword and Gil's sword and…wait…

"Is that a core crystal? You're a…Blade?" he asked. He mentally slapped himself for not realizing that sooner; he knew what a core crystal looked like so why didn't he think of that before? Wait did that mean that Gil's sword was a Blade too?

"My name is Pyra, its nice to meet you Rex," she greeted fondly and Rex blushed a little but he paused when he realized she said his name without him saying it.

"Wait, how did you know my name?" he asked, confused. Pyra's eyes lowered and she frowned a little.

"Well I learned it when we came into contact and you…were killed…" she explained sadly and Rex's eyes widened. Then everything came back to him, the ship, the room, finding her and then…so that did actually happen...ok he needed to stay calm and-

"But the crew! Everyone's in danger and Gil doesn't know what's going on! Ah man! Corinne and Illya are going to kill me again when they find out and don't even get me started on what Gil will do to me! He'll probably find a way to bring me back just so he can kick my butt!" Rex panicked in his mind as he ran his hands over his head. A million things ran around in his mind as he tried to come to terms with what just happened.

"If only I was paying attention I would have kicked that guys butt!" Rex groaned as he ran his hands down his face in annoyance.

"Rex, can I make a request?" Pyra asked and Rex paused his misgivings and turned towards her.

"This world is just an illusion of Elysium or a memory you could say…I want to see the real Elysium, in your world, my home," she said and Rex tilted his head.

"My world?" Rex asked and Pyra nodded.

"Yes, atop the World Tree of Alrest lays the real Elysium, I want to go there…" she said and Rex felt ecstatic and depressed. On one hand his beliefs were basically proven true, Elysium did exist but…well he's dead. Hm…maybe he should be asking himself if he's just going insane before he gets to the afterlife.

"Well as much as I would like to help you out, I can't do anything right now…I'm dead…" Rex said somberly.

"You could probably ask Gil, he's probably-no he is still alive. I'm sure you could ask him to help you out, just tell him I sent you to him," he continued and Pyra's eyes widened.

"Gil? He's still alive after all this time?" she asked, her face brightening a little and Rex titled his head.

"Um yes…what do you mean still alive and after all this time? He's only seventeen, almost eighteen actually," Rex was confused by her choice of words and Pyra frowned a little.

"Oh…I see, I…I guess he's not who I'm thinking about then," Pyra frowned as if she had just lost something important but then she snapped back.

"Regardless I want you to do it Rex and there is a way…for you to come back…" Pyra said as shed touched her core crystal. Rex wasn't exactly sure what was going on though.

"I will give you half of my core and you will be revived…as my Driver, as the Driver of the Aegis," Pyra said and Rex's eyes widened.

"Aegis…Driver…can Blades do that?" Rex asked and Pyra smiled fondly.

"Well no…but I can," she said and Rex's eyes went to the ground.

"Rex…if you take up the mantle it will be long and difficult but please trust me when I say Elysium exists…you can save the world from falling to its slow fate. Humanity can be saved…" Pyra explained as she looked at the ground sadly.

"We wouldn't have to live…knowing that the world is going to end?" Rex said slowly. He thought long and hard about what she said. Part of him thought that he was just going insane in the middle ground between life and death. But…most of him thought that this was a no brainer. He had been looking for this kind of a sign ever since he became a salvager, heck even longer than that.

"There's only one real choice to make then, I'll do it!" Rex proclaimed as he placed his hand over his chest.

"I promise I will take you to Elysium and we'll save the world together," he swore and Pyra smiled brightly.

"Thank you Rex…now place your hand on my core and we will begin…" Pyra explained as she took her hands off her core and it began to glow brighter. Rex stared at it for a few moments before he steeled his nerves.

"No going back now…" he reached out with his hand and gently touched her core and then Pyra closed her eyes. Then Rex felt power surge through his hand and his arm down to his chest, where it pulled. Energy began swirling around them until Rex had a hard time making Pyra out and after that he began to black out again but this time it felt more like falling asleep…

* * *

 **Gil's POV**

"Stupid thing, why do-" Gil stopped when he felt a sudden spike in energy, not from him but from something nearby. The ether was disturbed and he felt it. Then the gems on his "broken" treasure lit up as if they had been freshly charged. His eyes widened at the sight and he felt power surge into him for a moment and then the "blade" opened up. Then low and behold a greenish-white blade of energy formed from it, giving him quite the weapon in his hands.

"What…" Gil held the sword up in confusion. Why had it worked? He wasn't complaining but that was rather…sudden. Plus what was that surge of energy just then? He tried turning the weapon off and after a few moments the blade turned back into its usual state and when he tried to turn it back on it responded right away. He was wondering what had caused it to finally awaken but before he could think of anything, one of the salvagers decided to bother him.

"Mr. Uruk, they're returning…" Gil turned his new weapon off and put it back in his treasury as sneakily as he could before he stood up from his seating position. He saw Jin, Malos and Nia exit the ship with their Blades. No Rex though, where was he? He noticed that Malos was carrying some kind of…coffin? He couldn't make out exactly who was in it from his angle but he knew it wasn't Rex in there. He could see a bunch of red clothing but that was it. He noticed Nia and her Blade, whatever his name was looked rather down. Wait…no….

"Hey! Where's Rex?" Gil barked as he approached them. Malos just scoffed at him while Jin just stared at him. Nia wouldn't meet his eyes and his blood boiled.

"What happened down there?!" Gil demanded, ready to skewer them all.

"Nia, take them all out," Malos commanded, ignoring Gil's threats.

"What?!" Nia asked, aghast.

"There lives have been paid for in full, quite handsomely as well. We have the Aegis now and the less people who know that the better…" Malos said and Gil's anger spiked.

"What did you do to Rex?" Gil asked slowly and Malos turned to him with that arrogant smirk of his.

"Well you'll be seeing him again soon so he'll tell you then…" Gil's eyes widened and then his eyes narrowed behind his hood.

"Enough Malos! This is too much! These people are innocent!" Nia screamed. Gil noted her and decided he wouldn't just kill her right away but the other two would have to go.

"You…you…filthy…Mong-" Gil's eyes widened when he sensed a spike in the ether and then he noticed the coffin in Malos's hands start glowing.

"What the hell?!" the coffin exploded in a pillar of fire that would have blinded most people. Except Gil saw someone leap from the pillar and land on top of the ship's second floor, right above the doors. She was young woman with red hair, wearing black and red armor that seemed like a cross between protection and normal clothing and-

"Ugh…" Gil felt a sharp pain run through his head.

 _"We will meet again, one way or another…" a female voice spoke._

 _"Yeah, not like it matters to me though whether or not you live…just try to stay alive though ok…" another female said._

"Aiyahhhhhhhhh!" Gil came back to reality when another pillar of fire exploded but this time it came from below the ships deck. And at the top of the pillar was…Rex?!

"Rex?!" Nia exclaimed. Gil felt a load lift from his chest when he saw his friend but something was different. He was holding a red sword that projected a long firey energy blade and…there was something glowing on his chest. That was new. Gil also noticed something about Rex's new weapon. The gem in it was the same kind of gem on his treasure. Did that thing cause his treasure to awaken?

"Ha…you bastards!" Rex shouted as he fell upon Malos and Jin. They both jumped back from him when he landed.

"Its low to stab a guy in the back…you freaking psychopaths!" Rex shouted as he raised his sword at them. Malos seemed displeased with this turn of events if his glare was any indication.

"You…no…a useless nobody like you actually claimed the Aegis?!" he roared as he drew his blade.

"Aegis?" Gil recognized the name; it was supposed to be a special kind of Blade that was used in the war long ago, if he recalled the old man's stories correctly.

"Pyra lets go!" Rex shouted towards the girl up above.

"Right!" she leapt down from her perch and starts streaming ether to him directly and Gil's eyes widened. He had become a driver…

"Everyone get out of here! I'll handle them!" Rex shouted as he raised his blade with both hands and slashed towards his foes, sending a wave of fire towards them. Jin simply stepped out of the way but Malos charged straight towards Rex after he moved.

"I don't think so…" Gil dashed in from the side and drew Enki from his coat. Malos saw him at the last minute and managed to stop and towards him but Gil caught the strike with both swords and pushed.

"What!? How are you holding m-ugh!" Gil booted him in the chest, sending him sliding back before he dashed forward to continue his attack. Malos stopped himself easily and raised his sword to meet him but he grunted when a fireball hit him in his side, curtsey of Rex.

"Little shit!" Malos cursed as Gil was upon him again. Gil's blades were aimed right for his neck but before they got too close, a shield of ether formed and stopped his blades and deflected his attacks and him back.

Gil grunted as he was forced back and he was forced to lean back to avoid a blade aimed at his neck. Then he had to duck under another one, making his hood fall off his head. Then he blocked Malos' next strike in an x block with his swords. His eyes met Malos' and his grey eyes widened.

"Red eyes…" Malos said. Gil just smirked as Rex lunged at the man from behind, sword raised.

"Hiyah!" Rex brought his sword down but Malos' Blade jumped in front of him and blocked the strike with an ether shield. Gil pulled back from his lock and caught Malos off guard with the sudden move but when he tried to attack him, he struck another shield and grit his teeth as he was deflected back again.

"I'm sick of you!" Malos jumped forward and attacked him while he was knocked off balance. Gil brought his swords up but Malos pushed him back and created an opening in his guard that he sought to take advantage of.

"Tch!" the attack fell but suddenly it stopped.

"What?!" Malos' sword had been blocked but not by Enki. Gil had opened one of his portals and brought out one of his treasures, a simple yet elegant sword to block the attack.

"Hm…making me resort to bringing my treasures out…how annoying," Gil said as a few more portals opened up around behind him with weapons poised for launching. Malos' eyes widened and he leapt back as Gil sent them flying, impaling the ground he was on.

"Impossible…" Malos said as he stared at him, only to be caught off guard as Rex nailed him again with a fireball.

"You have more than one opponent here!" Rex charged in and slashed towards him but Malos stopped his attack with his own.

"You little brat!" he roared as he parried Rex's sword to the side and kicked him in the chest, sending him off his feet.

"Ah!" Rex crashed onto the ground.

"Go for it Sever!" Malos threw his tonfa sword into the air and his Blade caught it in midair and sent an X slash of wind towards the downed Rex. Gil opened up another one of his portals to send something to intercept it but Rex's new companion did it for him.

"No you don't!" she moved in front of him and created an ether shield that absorbed the blast, creating a rather large explosion. Gil was a little impressed by that display and he turned towards the gawking workers.

"What are you useless maggots doing?! Rex told you to run so get moving! Run!" he commanded harshly and that sent them into motion as they all ran for the Maelstrom. Then Gil turned his sights back on Malos.

"Don't take your eyes off me!" Gil opened up more of his treasury, five portals and fired a flurry of his weapons at him as he dashed towards him. Malos had not gotten his weapon back but he crossed his arms and a shield formed in front of him to block the attacks. Except when Gil's weapons collided with the shield, they managed to shatter the flimsy shield since his Blade wasn't powering it.

"You're mine!" Gil lunged at the now vulnerable man but in a blur, someone moved in front of him and deflected his strikes before they sent an attack of their own towards him. Gil cursed silently as he leaned out of the strikes and jumped back to get away from his new opponent, who happened to be Jin.

"Hm…what a bothersome cur…" Gil grumbled as he landed next to Pyra and Rex.

"Whew…thanks, Pyra," Rex complimented as Pyra lowered the shield. Gil noticed her give him a look and he cast her a glance.

"Is something wrong? I trust he has told you who I am…" he said evenly. She shook her head quickly.

"No…nothings wrong. You're Gil right?" she asked and he nodded.

"Yes…and you're Rex's new Blade?" he asked and she nodded back. He looked back at Rex and gave him a small smile.

"I leave you alone for a little while and look what kind of trouble you find," Gil mentioned and Rex shrugged.

"It's not like I went into this knowing what would happen," he said and Gil sighed.

"Well we're going to have a story to tell when we get back at least…" he stated as he turned his attention back towards their opponents.

"I'm going to give your pretty friend with the ears the benefit of the doubt, Rex. But those two need to go down," Gil opened up his Bab-ilu fully and weapons poised out of them, ready to be fired.

"Right…I want to take them down too…besides we have to fight them off long enough for the Maelstrom to get away…" Rex said as he raised his firey blade towards them.

"That's good, so we're both agreed. I assume your…partner has no complaints?" Gil asked as he looked towards Pyra who merely nodded.

"Right then…well we better get to it-"

"Who are you and why do you have the Gate of Babylon?" Jin suddenly asked and Gil turned to glare at the man, who was simply staring at him passively.

"Hm…my power is a gate but I don't know what this Babylon you are talking about is…this is the Bab-ilu. As for who I am well…" Gil stabbed one of his swords into the ground and swept his hair back a bit giving it a spikier look and left a single bang hanging down towards his face while the rest was pushed back. Then he snapped his fingers and one of his gates went behind him and grew to his size before it flashed over him and in an instant he was changed.

His clothes had been replaced with golden armor that had a more…ancient or as he would say Mesopotamian design to it as opposed to the more modern design everyone else had. He had full greaves covering his feet and legs with a long red fault that had golden designs on them. He had gauntlets and shoulder pads covering his arms and a "simple" chainmail shirt and red hauberk over his chest possessing the same gold symbols as his fault.

"I am Gilgamesh Uruk, the best and strongest warrior under the sky! Look up and behold Mongrels! I will grace you with the sight of my power before you die!"

* * *

 **Both POV's**

"Always dramatic…" Rex thought as he saw his oldest friend show off. Still though, couldn't deny it was certainly cool.

"Hm…" Pyra gave Gil a odd look before she returned her gaze to the enemy.

"Get ready Rex, they won't be holding their punches," she said and he nodded.

"Are you ready, Gil?" Rex asked and Gil pulled his sword out of the ground before he pointed it at Jin and Malos, with the other one resting on his shoulder.

"I'll handle the one with the silent attitude, you take the Mongrel with the attitude," he said simply and Rex wanted to point out the irony of that statement but he didn't.

"Right…" Gil zeroed in on Jin and fired his treasury at him as he charged him. Jin easily evaded or deflected everything that came at him before he and Gil met with their blades. Gil narrowed his eyes at him and pushed him off his swords before he slashed away at his sides or his chest in an unorthodox fashion. Except Jin blocked or dodged all his strikes before he sent out a few of his own, forcing Gil to block or dodge his strikes. They were a blur of movements as they tried to get the advantage over the other.

"Hiya!" Rex clashed with Malos. Their blades clashed with a loud clash but before Malos could press him, he pulled back at the last moment and tried to swing towards his exposed gut but his strike met another shield.

"Grr…" Rex pulled back before the shield could reflect him and when Malos sent his own strike towards him, Pyra shielded him from it with her own shield.

"Not bad for a brat…" Malos came at him again and Rex parried his strike before he tried to stab him but Malos moved to the side and grabbed one of his hands and lifted him from the ground and threw him.

"Whoa!" Rex grunted as he skid across the ground He felt Pyra stop him and help him up onto his feet.

"Careful Rex! He's strong!" Pyra said and Rex nodded.

"Right!" He hefted the Aegis around again but then he noticed that Malos wasn't looking at him anymore, he was looking at the…Maelstrom!

"Oh no you don't!" Rex charged in and sent another wave of fire towards him, which forced him to dodge it.

"Rex let's go!" Pyra said as she ran beside him and Rex instinctively jumped into the air and held the Aegis up. Pyra grabbed hold of the sword as well and then Rex felt power start building up between them as they started glowing, their ether flow becoming visible. He looked down at Malos who was staring at them with contempt. His own weapon glowed with power to meet them as they came down towards him.

"BURNING SWORD!" their weapons met, causing a big explosion of power.

"Hm…" Gil caught Jin's sword in an x block and pulled it to the side as he spared a glance at Rex's fight. During his small lapse, Jin pulled his blade back and tried to attack him while he wasn't looking.

"Fool…" Gil scoffed and one of his treasures came up to block the strike before he tried to impale him with Enki but the man easily dodged away. Except when he put the distance between them, he made it easier for Gil to just shoot him.

"You're the fool Mongrel…" Gil fired his treasures at him in a vicious barrage that managed to push him back slightly but nothing scored a decisive hit. Gil grit his teeth and charged in again, feeling invigorated and annoyed at the same time.

"I have to say, it's impressive that you've managed to come this far…" Malos said as he and his Blade kept up their struggle with Rex and Pyra. Rex just glared at the man as he tried to push through to him.

"Ah…those eyes…they're just like "them". Perhaps I should have chosen someone else…" Malos said ominously and that confused Rex.

"What are you talking about?" Rex pressed down more on him but Malos just chuckled. Before he brought one hand back, easily holding him with one hand, making Rex's eyes widen.

"Like I would tell you!" Malos suddenly reached out to grab him but Pyra acted first and pulled him back, just out of reach. They landed on their feet and Rex got back into his fighting stance. He noted that the Maelstrom finally pulled away, now he could focus fully on Malos.

"Pyra, try to distract his Blade. I'll engage Malos," Rex commanded and Pyra nodded. Then together they charged in. Pyra went forward first and ducked under Malos when he tried to attack her and nailed Sever with a strong side kick before she went after him, easily evading Malos when he tried to hit her in the back. Then Rex dove in on Malos while his attention was on Pyra.

"Aiyahhh!" Rex brought his sword down hard only to stop suddenly when Malos caught the Aegis with his bare hand. His eyes widened in shock at the blatant disregard for his attack.

"Like I said, you're good kid. No one can bring the power of the Aegis out like that, especially in such a short time…but you're still nothing compared to me!" Malos pulled him forward and kneed Rex in the gut, forcing the air out of him.

"Gah!" Rex gasped and gagged as he tried to get air back into his lungs but Malos wasn't going to let him.

"You little brat!" Malos slammed him down into the ground, face first, making Rex gasp in pain. He lost his grip on the Aegis as he slumped onto the ground in a heap. He groaned on the ground as he tried to regain his breath and sit up.

"Rex!" Gil roared as he pushed Jin away from him and broke out in a run towards him but he had to dodge to the side as Jin tried to stab him in the back.

"Your fight is with me, Gilgamesh…" Gil grit his teeth as he tried to force his way through him but the man once again proved too resilient to simply overwhelm.

"Damn it!" Gil cursed.

"Ah…dang it…" Rex coughed as he struggled to get his bearings back. He saw Pyra trying to get to him but Sever was keeping her back. Gil was in a similar situation with Jin. Then his eyes landed on Malos as he approached him.

"Sorry kid, but I can't just let you keep her power for yourself…" Malos held his blade out in front of him and Rex narrowed his eyes at him as he forced himself onto his knee.

"Malos enough!" Rex's eyes widened as he saw Nia ride in on Dromarch. The Blade released a loud roar, which unleashed a small wave of water that nailed Malos in the back but he merely grunted in annoyance. Then they jumped over him and stood in front of Rex' protectively.

"What the hell Nia?!" Malos shouted as he waved his sword at them.

"I should be saying that to you! Rex is just a kid and the rest of them did nothing to you, nothing at all!" Nia shouted and Malos groaned and wiped his hand over his face before he glared at them all.

"Do you understand what position you're in Nia? What you're deciding to do?" he asked. Nia looked back at Rex and he saw her eyes filled with compassion before she turned back towards Malos. Even Gil managed to catch a small glimpse at what was going on.

"Yes, I am sure…" Nia said as Dromarch leaned down, readying to pounce.

"Fine then…you were always a pain in the ass anyway!" Malos brought his sword back into a two handed stance as he started charging up his energy.

"No you don't!" Rex got up and leaned on Dromarch and then he saw Pyra dash in and pick up the Aegis before she attacked Malos from the side. Sever tried to get in her way but she swatted him aside and went after the Driver. Malos growled and swung his sword against hers and they clashed for a moment before Pyra leapt over him and sent a few fireballs at his back. Malos easily evaded them all though and closed the distance between them again and initiated another blade lock with her.

"You're remarkably alert for someone who's been asleep for five hundred years. Why are you by yourself hm?" Rex heard Malos taunt but Pyra didn't respond.

"No matter, I can always figure that out later…I can only guess that Elysium is your aim?" he asked and Pyra pressed harder against him from what Rex could see.

"That…is our dream!" Pyra shouted as she jumped over him again and landed a few feet away from him to aim her blade at him once again.

"Heh…how noble…" Gil thought as he listened in on everything happening while he fought Jin. He was gaining ground now but at the same time it felt like his opponent was trying to stall him more than fight him. It wasn't until Jin suddenly pulled back and jumped away that Gil realized something was about to happen. He turned around and saw a massive ship sailing in from the side.

"That's…the ship I saw at the Argentum…" Gil thought. The ship was massive like the Maelstrom but it was way more advanced and armored for that matter. Gil was also sure that it was built for combat more than sailing or salvaging. It figured that it had to belong to them of course.

"Darn it, I should have expected this…" Gil cursed and his eyes widened when he saw two main guns pop out of the hull and aim right at Pyra's exposed back.

"Hey! Move it! The Mongrels are about to shoot!" Gil warned. Pyra heard him thankfully and turned around but unfortunately it was too late for her to bring her defenses up fully. The guns opened fire and struck Pyra directly, she didn't manage to bring her shield up fully but she managed to bring up just enough of it to keep her from taking the brunt of the damage at least. Her shield broke unfortunately and sent her blasting into the air.

"Dang it!" Gil moved quickly and placed one of his blades onto his back before he leapt into the air and caught Pyra under one arm. He landed in a crouch and set her down on the ground gently.

"You alright?" he asked and Pyra nodded slowly.

"Thanks, Gilgamesh," she said and he nodded back before he faced the ship with narrowed eyes as the guns turned towards them.

"Pyra!" Rex ran over to the pair and helped Pyra onto her feet. She wobbled a little bit but she shook it off and nodded to him.

"I'll be fine Rex, we have bigger things to worry about," she said as she shakily turned back to the enemy ship and their foes. Jin had backed off completely and was standing away like he wasn't fighting a few moments ago and Malos simply stood there laxly as he waved at the ship to fire.

"No you don't!" Nia and Dromarch moved in front of the trio and activated a large ether shield just as the ship opened fire. Rex grit his teeth as the shockwave from the volley hitting the shield reached him. Gil simply glared at the action and his eyes narrowed further when he saw cracks forming in the shield. Rex saw it too and immediately ran for Nia but Gil grabbed him and pulled him back.

"It's too late!" Gil wrapped his other arm around a still shaky Pyra and leapt away as the shield was broken, causing a large explosion followed by smoke. When he landed he let them both go. Rex quickly ran for the smoke, daring to hope that they were unscathed.

"Nia!" Rex shouted desperately. Then he spotted two figures get flung from the smoke. The first one was Dromarch who was caught by Pyra and a Gil. They set him down onto his feet easily enough but it was the second figure that was alarming, Nia. She didn't seem able to move at all as she flew through the air, in fact she wasn't making any movements at all, she must have been unconscious!

"I'm coming Nia!" Rex chased after her even as she flew off the edge of the ship. He dove quickly and managed to snag her under his arm as they fell towards the cloud sea.

"Darn it!" Rex quickly aimed his grappling hook at the shoot and fired it. His hook found purchase on the side of the ship so they didn't fall into the sea but the problem was they were stuck there now! Rex looked down at the unconscious girl under his arm.

"Nia! Nia! Wake up!" Rex shouted as he shook her.

"Rex!" the boy looked up again to see Pyra, Gil and Dromarch looking down at him from above.

"Guys I need help! Nia's out cold and I can't heft us both up like this!" he shouted towards them desperately.

"Don't worry Rex we'll get to you just wait!" Pyra shouted down. Except that was when Gil and Rex both heard the sound of the enemy ship turning its guns. They both saw the enemy ship pointing its cannons straight at Rex, posied to fire.

"Damn it!" Gil moved to use Enki's second function and use his Bab-ilu to try and stop the guns. Meanwhile Rex just stared helplessly.

"Oh shi-"

"Rahhhhh!" a sudden shrill screech filled the air followed by large fireballs hitting the enemy ship, right on the guns. The blasts did their work and not only did they knock the guns out of commission at least temporarily but they also knocked the ship away. Gil and Rex both looked up to see a familiar and pleasant sight.

The sight was a winged Titan with a single horn on its head fly in between the derelict ship and the enemy one. It's yellow eyes locked on Rex and the party as it flew by. It looked like a dragon or wyvern. There weren't many titans like that one around nowadays but even then Gil and Rex knew exactly who it was.

"Gramps!" Rex was relived to see his caretaker/home fly but and Gil simply scoffed.

"Took you long enough, Old Man!" Gil laughed at the end of his sentence though as he watched him fly up into the sky. It had been some time since he actually flew. The last time he did it was when he brought Gil to Argentum for the first time.

"Gilgamesh! Get back!" Azurda shouted as he flew down towards them and Gil nodded. He yanked Pyra and Dromarch back, a little forcefully but they couldn't complain since he literally pulled them out of the firing line of Azurda's fireball strikes. Jin and Malos were caught in it but Gil didn't need to see to know they were probably fine.

"I haven't seen him like this before…" Gil thought as he flew over them again and looped around once again.

"Get on! Now!" the titan ordered. Gil and Rex didn't need to be told twice. Gil ran for the edge of the ship with Pyra and Dromarch. Azurda swooped down low probably to pick Rex up.

"A little help here!" Rex shouted, he couldn't exactly jump very far while he was carrying Nia. He couldn't pull himself up either since while the edge of the ship was slanted, he couldn't just climb without momentum. Gil, Pyra and Dromarch jumped off the deck and ran along the edge of the ship towards Rex.

"Rex! Get on!" Dromarch ran ahead and snatched up Nia in his jaws and Rex quickly hopped onto his back as well while Pyra and Gil followed closely.

"Quickly!" Azurda flew just under them and they all jumped onto his back. They all landed softly enough but Azurda quickly ascended, forcing them all to grab on to whatever was nearby. Rex barely managed to get off Dromarch before he had to grab onto him to keep himself upright. The Blade simply locked down, keeping his driver firmly in his jaws. Gil and Pyra had to grab onto parts of the house to stay stable.

"Hang on! We're leaving! Now!" the titan commanded as he took off as quickly as he could. Gil grunted as he tightened his hold on the house before he pulled him over to look behind them. His eyes landed on the enemy ship, which was pointing its guns right at them!

"Old Man! Make evasive maneuvers! They're locked onto us!" Gil shouted right as they opened fire.

"I-ugh!" the titan screeched as the enemy cannons struck true and everyone felt the impact. Gil's back hit the side of the house hard while Pyra almost lost her grip but Gil grabbed her hand and put it back in place. Rex felt Droamrch tense before the Blade sunk his claws into the titans back to stand firm. Except just when the worst seemed to pass, another blast impacted the top of the titan's hide causing a large amount of smoke to kick up as well as debris from the house and the tools on the titan getting destroyed. Everyone had to cover their faces to keep the smoke and debris from getting them.

"Ah!" the titan shrieked in pain once again as his flight started taking a downward turn.

"Gramps!" Rex had to close his eyes because of the smoke and debris but when he tried opening his eyes they widened as he saw a broken piece of the crane flying at his face. He had no time to react as it impacted right on his face. He didn't even feel the impact since everything went black…

"Rex!" Pyra shrieked. Gil turned quickly to see his friend get impacted by a piece of metal debris before he seemed to go slack and begin to fly back.

"Rex!" Pyra let go of her holding and grabbed ahold of the now unconscious Driver. Unfortunately she was going to get pulled off with him! She reached out with her other hand towards Gil.

"Damn it!" Gil grabbed a hold of Pyra's hand and grunted when their combined weight plus the momentum pulled him out from his cover until he was only hanging on by his hand. He held on tight to what was left of the house and tried to pull them back. They were falling now and they were only falling faster by the second. He started pulling them back to their cover but then he heard a crunch and saw that the wall he was holding onto was breaking.

"Damn it all!" Gil cursed as his holding broke, sending them falling off the titan. He saw that there were multiple objects sticking out of the old man but he paid that little mind since they were currently falling!

"Ah! Rex!" Gil growled in annoyance and pulled Pyra and Rex closer to him.

"Hang on! We're going to be hitting the sea hard!" Gil ordered. He felt Pyra latch onto him with one of her arms and he felt her pull Rex up close to try and secure him as they fell.

"Damn it! Why did it have to be nighttime when we did this!?" Gil thought as he scanned the area, he couldn't even see the Old Man anymore! All he could see was the cloud sea! He didn't fancy the idea of swimming for so long especially if Rex was out cold. Plus they were going to have to try and figure out where the old man was and Rex's new friends too probably.

"Damn it! Not good!" Gil cursed as he looked around until…wait…

"Look! I think that's a titan coming up! Just below us!" Pyra shouted and Gil grunted as he acknowledged her. It was dark but there was no mistaking something that large, especially since they were quite close to the bottom sea now!

"Hang on!"

* * *

 **Anyone know someone who would like to beta for me? If not I have a couple people in mind. I really need someone to read these over for me.**


	4. Beginnings

I own nothing

 **Ok everyone here's the final chapter of my story's debut. I was originally going to release it after chapter 3 but it felt better including this in the debut.**

Chapter 4: Beginnings

* * *

 **Gil's POV**

"!" Gil reached out of the cloud sea and stuck Enki into a mass of rock. He coughed a little as he reached out with his other hand and stuck the other half of Enki into the rock and pulled himself and his passengers out of the sea.

"…You ok back there? How's Rex?" Gil asked as he took a few deep breaths. Pyra was still hanging off of him with Rex under her arm.

"I'm alright…Rex is ok too, he's still out," Pyra coughed and Gil sighed. Of course he was still out, so much for using his grapple hook to at least lighten his load…

"Right…" Gil grunted as he started hefting them up the rock wall. He could see plant life above them; they just needed to get there. At least the sun was starting to come up finally…

"Reduced to a common pack animal…how annoying…" Gil thought as he carried one deadweight and one slightly less deadweight up the cliff. When they finally reached the top, Pyra hefted Rex onto the ledge before she pulled herself up. Then she offered her hand to Gil but he shrugged it off and pulled himself up before he put his swords onto his shoulder pads, where they attached and slung onto his back.

"I never liked swimming…" Gil sighed as he shook his hands to shake the excess water off of his armor. Then he reached up and wiped his hands through his hair to adjust it slightly before he looked at Pyra who was staring at him.

"What is it?" Gil asked, annoyed and Pyra shook her head before she looked back at Rex as she laid his head across her lap. Gil might have laughed if it was a different situation but right now he felt more cautious.

"How is he?" Gil asked as he looked his friend over.

"Well he took a knock to the head but otherwise he's fine. There isn't even a lump on his head. He should be awake soon enough," Pyra said softly as she ran one of her hands over his hair. Gil did laugh that time and he did note the way she was holding him.

"Figures. That dense head of his came in handy this time. He probably won't even feel it when he wakes up," Gil laughed and Pyra actually laughed as well. When he stopped he looked at her a little more curiously. Pyra seemed uncomfortable under his gaze but he didn't turn away. He noticed something interesting about her core…particularly the fact that part of it was missing. And said missing part was on Rex's chest. Curious…

"Hm…so you are Rex's new Blade?" Gil asked as questions began filtering into his head. There were a lot of things that just happened and the fight kept him preoccupied but now that they were out of danger his thoughts flowed onto the things that were not explained. And there were a lot of things that he wanted explained to him.

"Yes," Pyra answered and Gil crossed his arms at her.

"How did that happen? As I recall my brother was not a Driver when he went into that ship. I can only assume that he found you down there," Gil said and once again the red girl nodded.

"Yes, he…found me during his time of need. I suppose you could say I saved him," Pyra explained and Gil looked at her passively but inside he felt like something was missing. He wasn't so naïve as to forget that she was in that coffin they dragged out of the ship…that didn't make sense though, Blades were supposed to return to their cores unless a Driver summoned them. Wait…Malos called her the Aegis…

"Hm…" Gil's eyes narrowed as things started to connect in his head but as he opened his mouth, Rex began to stir.

* * *

 **Rex's POV**

"Ugh…" Rex felt a little groggy as he began to awaken from a dreamless rest. He felt something rough under his body but his head was resting on something soft. He sighed contently as he rubbed his head against it a little more as he turned on his side into it. He heard a small gasp and a scoff.

"Rex…while I praise your boldness I doubt you want to try this here…" Rex groaned as he heard Gil's voice chide him. He opened his eyes a bit and glanced in the direction of his friend to see him staring down at him with an amused smirk on his face. He also noticed that he was dressed in his armor, why was that?

"Look up Rex…" Gil mentioned and Rex groaned but he did as he asked and tilted his head up further to see a rather red faced Pyra staring at him.

"Oh hey Pyra…what are you doing? You look sick?" Rex asked, concern overtaking his exhaustion. Wait…Pyra…Gil in armor…the ship…fighting…Gramps and Nia!

"Where's Gramps?! Where are Nia and Dromarch?!" Rex shot up quickly and Gil pinched the bridge of his nose for some reason before he shrugged his shoulders.

"We don't know. We fell off trying to catch you. We lost sight of the Old Man when we were falling and we had to haul you through the sea and onto this Titan," Gil explained somberly.

"We didn't see Dromarch or Nia fall off but your Titan friend was falling even when we fell off," Pyra explained as she stood up, her face returning to normal. Rex's eyes widened as multiple senarios went through his head, none of them good. Then his mind settled and he looked towards the forest, determined.

"We have to find them then! They can't have landed too far!" he declared. Gil simply nodded while Pyra handed him his blade, which he accepted gratefully.

"Come on!" Rex ran into the forest without waiting for their response. He knew they would follow him.

They ran for what felt like hours but was probably only a few minutes before they came to a clearing. It was more like a bog than a forest now with all the water but it wasn't impeding since the water wasn't deep. There were a lot of creatures around but most of them minded their own business. There was one bug looking creature that seemed to get close to them on purpose but a quick blast from Gil's gate impaled the thing in an instant.

"Hphm…that wasn't even one of my more decent treasures…" Gil grumbled and Rex rolled his eyes at his antics. Apparently he was actually fine with blasting things from a distance without moving after all.

"Rex, Gilgamesh, look!" Pyra pointed towards a bunch of wreaked trees. It looked like something crashed through them. Something big to be precise.

"Lets go!" Rex shot off without another thought. He ran around the trees to get a better look and low and behold he found what crashed through the trees. It was Gramps and he didn't look good at all…

"Gramps!" Rex ran towards the downed titan quickly with Gil and Pyra on his heels.

"Oh no…" Pyra gasped. It certainly wasn't a pretty sight. There were large javelins impaled across the Titan's body. Blood was seeping from the wounds and by all means the titan did not look like he was feeling pleasant.

"They weren't just blasts…" Gil muttered. Then Azurda started shifting a bit. He moved his head slightly and opened the eye facing them.

"…Rex…Gilgamesh, I'm glad you are both unharmed…" Azurda groaned. Rex went closer to one of the lances he reached out to grab it but he stopped at the last moment when the titan shifted it away.

"Gramps…we can help you. I have some herbs and I think Gil might have something in his "treasury" that can help you!" Rex appeased but the titan just sighed and shook his head.

"I'm afraid that I am beyond the point that medicine can heal…" Azurda grumbled. Rex felt his eyes start watering as he stared at his dying caretaker.

"Fear not young ones…do not weep for me…" Azurda groaned as his body began to turn to ether. Rex's eyes widened and he heard Pyra gasp. Gil was silent the whole time; Rex didn't hear him make a sound.

"Its not like I can help it…" Rex sniffed as his tears began to get hard to hold back.

"No parting is eternal…we will meet again when the world deems it fit…" Azurda said slowly as his body began to turn ethereal.

"The time I spent with you both were some of the best I've had in centuries…I'm glad I got to see you both grow into fine men…we will meet again…Gilgamesh…Rex…" Azurda finished slowly as he closed his eyes. Then in a flash his body scattered into ether and dispersed before their eyes.

"Gramp! Graaaamps!" Rex shouted in anguish as his tears finally fell. He fell onto his knees and slammed his hands into the ground until they hurt. He could make out Pyra sniffling gently before he felt someone place their hand on his shoulder. He knew it was Gil. He didn't say anything to him but Rex understood what hew as trying to do.

"Gramps…I can't believe you're gone…" Rex whimpered. He felt Gil tighten his grip on his shoulder slightly.

"Rex…"

"I can't believe this…" Rex whimpered as he leaned down again, freeing himself from Gil's hold.

"Rex…"

"Gramps!" Rex shouted out again as he clutched his head in his hands.

"Reeeex!" Rex stopped his grieving episode when he heard that shout. He blinked and looked down to see a small furry creature standing on the ground in front of him.

"Um…what's that?" Gil asked, finally saying something. The creature was small and covered in white fur and rather cute looking actually. He was standing on two legs with two arms and it had two little pink wings on its back and a tail. It had two pointed ears on its head and it had two yellow eyes and a mini horn on its forehead. The final noteworthy thing was that it had a small gem on its chest that looked like a core crystal. Wait…

"What the?! Gramps?!" Rex shook his head and looked again but the small creature was still there. He looked back at the indent that was supposed to be his caretaker's final resting place before he looked down at the creature in front of him.

"Yes! It's me! Don't you recognize me?" the smaller Azurda placed its hands on its hips and held its head up proudly as if expecting some kind of grand entrance.

"Not really no…" Pyra said slowly. Then Gil suddenly strode up and plucked him up from the ground by the scruff of his neck.

"This is…odd…are you really the Old Man?" Gil asked, as he looked him over. Azurda squirmed around in his hold and crossed his arms at the blonde.

"Gilgamesh! Put me down! It's impolite to pick people up without asking!" Azurda chided, the voice was a bit different but Rex could recognize it and the tone was definitely the same.

"It's him…" Rex and Gil deadpanned. Then Gil dropped him onto the ground with a small puff.

"So care to explain how this happened?" Gil asked as he crossed his arms. Rex wanted to know why he didn't just tell him he could do whatever he did so that they wouldn't all hear him cry.

"Well its simple Gilgamesh. I simply maximized my cellular regeneration to retain all my essential bodily functions. Though it appears I have been reverted back to my larval stage…" Azurda said as he started flapping his wings and floated up to Rex's head level.

"That sounds handy…it must be nice to be a Titan…" Rex grumbled as he crossed his arms and turned away.

"Hey! Not just any old Titan can do this! Only someone as advanced as myself can-erm…are you angry at me?" Azurda asked and Rex huffed before he turned back to him.

"Well yes and no, I just wish you told us that so I wouldn't have cried like a baby," Rex muttered.

"Yeah, would have been nice if you told us you were going to be fine…" Gil said, annoyed.

"I am touched you both care so much," Azurda said cheerfully. Rex sighed and smiled at him.

"Regardless I'm happy that you're alive even if I'm mad that you played with us a little…" Rex said and then something occurred to him.

"Wait if you're small then where am I supposed to live? How long until you turn back?" Rex asked and Gil chuckled a little.

"Good question…hm…probably around three hundred years or so…give or take," Azurda replied and Rex slapped his hand over his face.

"Great…I'll be long dead by then…" Rex sighed.

"Perhaps but not all is lost," Azurda said and Rex scoffed.

"Yeah well what about my house? Where am I supposed to live? On the streets?" Rex asked.

"Well I think it would be the forest in this case…" Pyra mentioned but Rex waved it off.

"To be fair, the house got destroyed when that ship blasted the Old Man," Gil also mentioned and Rex sighed.

"Think of it like a opportunity to fly the nest," Azurda offered and Rex deadpanned.

"So I have to pay rent?" Rex asked and Azurda shrugged.

"Is it truly so bad? Think of it as a learning experience and a chance to mature a little," Azurda said and Rex looked at Gil, hopeful.

"Hey, its not my fault you don't keep any of your money for yourself. Don't come to me for handouts on random things," the blonde chided and Rex sighed. Of course…

"Right…well I guess we'll deal with that when the time comes…erm…I am happy that you're alive though Gramps," Rex said as he smiled at Azurda. The small Titan held his hand up and gave him thumbs up and Rex chuckled a little before another thought hit him.

"Wait…where's Nia and Dromarch?" Rex asked in alarm and Azurda tilted his head in confusion before he snapped his fingers.

"Oh you mean that Driver and her Blade? I don't recall actually, I didn't even realize you fell off until I had already crashed. Assuming they didn't fall off with you they might have fallen off while I was crashing," Azurda explained and Rex nodded in understanding.

"I hope they're ok," Pyra said and Rex silently agreed.

"Me too, they helped us out in a bind. I hope they didn't get hurt because of it," Rex muttered.

"Well less moping and more moving then. There's no use whining here like the common Mongrels now lets go!" Gil proclaimed. Rex groaned a little bit since he was using that phrase again but he brushed it off.

"Well I wouldn't put it like that but we should keep moving. Perhaps we should follow the broken trees?" Pyra suggested.

"That sounds like a good idea, Pyra," Rex agreed as he grabbed Azurda gently and placed him in his helmet on his back.

"Oh! This is a nice change of pace!" Azurda said joyfully and they all shared a laugh or scoff in Gil's case.

"By the way Rex, is that a core crystal on your chest?" Azurda asked as he leaned over his shoulder to look at the object. Rex glanced down at the small glowing X on his chest.

"I would like to know about that too…" Gil mentioned and Rex saw that inquisitive look on his face. He could tell that Pyra was getting uncomfortable too.

"Later! Right now we need to find Nia!" Rex said quickly as he started running deeper into the forest. He could feel Gil staring at the back of his head but he ignored it and kept moving.

They ran through the forest, following the trail of broken trees and disturbed plant life. Apparently they were actually on the edge of whatever Titan they landed on so they had to move deeper into the forest. The forest got dense of course as they moved deeper in but thankfully there was a path carved out for them to follow. It took them all over the place though; at one point they were actually walking along a giant tree branch. There were no signs of Nia or Dromarch unfortunately and before long the light of the day began to leave.

"It's getting a little late…" Azurda noted and Rex paused his trek up the hill they were currently on to look up at the tree brush. Sure enough the light was beginning to set already, they started at the beginning of the day and now it looked like that day was about to end.

"This forest seems to go on forever," Gil said, annoyed.

"Perhaps we should rest?" Pyra suggested and Rex turned back to her.

"It is getting late Rex," she said again and Rex sighed. He didn't particularly feel like stopping but they had a point. It was probably ill advised to run around in an unfamiliar forest in the dark with who knows what waiting for them. They could probably manage but it was better to be safe than sorry. He opened his mouth to say something but everyone including himself tensed up. He heard something crash, followed by the sound of metal crashing against metal or sliding was probably the better word.

"What was that?" Rex asked.

"Something is disturbing the ether flow nearby…" Gil said as he drew one of his swords.

"Yes, it seems like someone is up to something, they're drawing from the ether," Azurda agreed.

"I feel it too, a ripple. Someone must be using their Blade in battle," Pyra explained and Rex suddenly felt like the odd one out since he didn't sense any of that. Still the news brought hope to him that Nia was nearby.

"Well lets get going then!" Rex unsheathed the Aegis and ignited it before he charged in. He heard the others call for him to wait but he kept going. He ran up the hill and saw two familiar faces and one unfriendly one.

"My Lady I will handle this!" Dromarch said but Nia just scoffed and twirled her ring blades in a flourish as they faced down what looked like a giant toad with two tentacle arms protruding from its side.

"I'm not abandoning you Dromarch!" Nia shouted as she readied for battle.

"Pyra!" Rex shouted as he brought his sword back to charge. Pyra nodded silently and began feeding ether to him, which he let flow into the sword. Then in a quick burst he released a fire wave at the beasts side. The blast struck the creature in the side, staggering it but it seemed more annoyed than hurt.

"Rex?!" Nia was surprised to see him but Rex could tell it was pleasant.

"We're here to help Nia!" Rex immediately charged in against the beast, sword raised. The toad roared as it raised its arms to stop him but they were both suddenly pinned to the ground by two golden weapons.

"Thanks Gil!" Rex thought in his mind as he charged in and dealt a large slash against the creatures side. This time it roared in pain before it ripped its arms free from the ground, weapons still in them and tried to grab him but suddenly a spinning axe came out and chopped them both off. Surprisingly they just grew back though and rushed down towards Rex.

"Whoa!" Pyra yanked Rex out of the way and pulled him back to a safe distance.

"Thanks Pyra!" Rex said gratefully and his Blade nodded before she returned her attention towards their foe.

"Please be careful Rex, there's two of us here now!" Azurda pointed out and Rex chuckled nervously.

"Hm…I used three of my treasures on that thing and its still moving…" Gil mentioned as he twirled one of his swords in his hand.

"Right well lets try something else. Nia are you good to do?" Rex asked and Nia just nodded.

"You got it and don't be so reckless this time!" she chided and Rex chuckled nervously.

"Perhaps we should try a more…strategic approach?" Gil suggested as he gripped his sword in a reverse grip.

"Right, shall we try to combine our powers?" Rex asked as he powered up his blade with the ether Pyra gave him.

"Ready when you are," Pyra said.

"You got it Rex, Dromarch and I got your back!" Nia boasted while she got ready.

"Well lets see it then…" Gil chuckled as he hefted his sword easily, waiting for his word.

"Right, lets go!" Rex charged in first with Pyra and ducked under the toad's arms and slashed at one of them while Nia dashed past him and slashed at the beast's other arm. Then Gil ran past both of them and slid under the beast when it tried to snap at him and slashed it's underbelly as he passed it. Then he snapped onto his feet behind it and slashed at it's back with three successful and fluid strikes, causing it screech in pain before it fell forward.

"Rex! We're charged, hand me the sword!" Pyra shouted and Rex threw the Aegis to her, which she caught easily. Then she dashed in as her ether began to become visible around her and as if the sword began moving on its own it floated from her hand and created flames as it flew through the air.

"Flame Nova!" she slashed her hand to the side and the Aegis created moved in a fast motion and created an array of fire that exploded in the monster's face, causing it to cry out in pain. Then the Aegis flew back to Pyra's hand before she back flipped away and threw the Aegis back to Rex, which he caught.

"Awesome Pyra!" Rex praised as she returned to feeding him ether.

"That's nothing! Watch this! Dromarch, lets go! Use their residual fire!" Nia commanded as she threw her blades to her Blade, who caught them both in his mouth quite handily.

"Aqua Wave!" Dromarch levitated the blades above him and similar to Pyra they spun around but instead of creating fire, water spread around. It created a veil of sorts that spread around. When it touched Rex, he felt invigorated like it was washing away his exhaustion and any pain he felt. Though when it touched the monster the residual flames from Pyra's attacks reacted and created steam.

"Thanks Dromarch!" Nia praised as she received her weapons back from her Blade.

"My pleasure, my lady!" Dromarch thanked. The toad seemed quite upset at the beating it took though and roared violently as it regrew its tentacle arms though it was obvious that it was badly hurt now. It charged straight towards them but it seemed to forget that Gil was still behind it.

"Don't turn you back on me you filthy beast!" Gil dashed past its side, creating another large gash for blood to spill from. Then he stopped in front of it suddenly and held his single sword in both hands.

"Blossom Dance!" Then in a flurry of quick slashes Gil cut up the toad's face, wounding even more. The beast roared with the furry of a cornered animal before it tried to pounce on Gil in a desperate assault but he simply side stepped away.

"I trust you can handle it now," Gil stated not asked Rex as he wiped the creature's blood off of his blade, disdainfully.

"You got it! Pyra are we ready for more?" Rex asked as he felt the energy spike between them once again and the ether changed from blue to gold around them.

"Yes! Lets finish this Rex!" Pyra exclaimed and Rex threw the Aegis to her again as she charged up her attack.

"Blazing End!" Pyra threw the sword at the beast and it spun rapidly, creating flames once again but much more than before. The steam created from Nia's last attack reacted to the flames instantly and exploded, causing the toad to quite literally blow up from waist up, incinerating anything before it could land on anyone. All that was left was the lower half of the body that was basically cooked to the point of blackening.

"Well that was surprising…" Azurda mentioned and Rex nodded a little tiredly as he accepted his sword back from Pyra. That was more tiring than he thought it would be, he already felt like he just worked out for five hours straight.

"I have to say that was more entertaining than I thought it would be," Gil mentioned as he walked back over to them, not in the least bit winded or even sweating for that manner.

"Rex?" Nia and Rex smiled as he turned towards her. She looked fine all things considered; she looked a little tired but nowhere near as tired as Rex probably looked. Then again, she had been a Blade a lot longer than Rex had so she was probably used to the demand.

"Hey Nia, I'm glad we found you in time," he greeted and Nia flushed slightly before she cleared her throat.

"Ah-hem right…So why are you guys even her-actually that's a stupid question," Nia sighed as she reached up to scratch behind her cat ears, something Rex thought was rather cute.

"Ha right…well seriously, I'm really happy to see you and I'm glad you're alright," Rex said and Nia smiled as she placed her hands on her hips.

"Right back at you. I was worried about you since Dromarch told me you fell off before we "landed". You look find though," Nia said and Rex chuckled nervously before he scratched his head.

"Well he had us to drag him to shore," Gil added as he motioned at himself and Pyra, the latter laughed a little. Rex sighed as Nia giggled at his misfortune.

"Well it's a good thing you have your brother and your Blade to watch you. Say…speaking of that, where's that big guy that came to save us? You know, the Titan that looked like a dragon?" Nia asked seriously.

"You mean me?" Azurda asked as he plopped himself over Rex's shoulder.

"Wait what?! How did that happen?" Nia exclaimed and Rex sighed.

"It's a long story. How about we find somewhere to rest first. I think I need to sit down," Rex yawned a little as he stretched to try and get some energy back into him.

"That sounds good, I could use a break. We should be able to set up camp near that small pond," Nia said as she nodded towards the body of water behind the creature they just killed.

"We were actually going to rest there anyway but I guess that thing was living there. Oh well, its open to us now," Nia shrugged.

"Indeed, it is getting late as well," Dromarch pointed out.

"Sounds good, lets go," Rex said as they all trudged to the pond, or well Rex trudged while everyone else walked.

"Oh boy, its going to take a while to get used to this…" he sighed.

 **Later**

"Wow…so you two are off to Elysium then?" Nia asked as she laid back against Dromarch like he was a pillow. They had set up a makeshift camp of sorts. Just a small fire, they were using what was left of that creature as food. Nia was a bit against it but well they weren't exactly well stocked. Gil had gone off to find more firewood, which was surprising to Rex but he told him that he would probably fall asleep on his way back. Rex wasn't sure if he was trying to be caring or insulting but that was normal.

"Pretty much, yeah. Pyra pretty much confirmed what I always knew, we just have to get there now," Rex explained. He spent the whole time explaining how he bonded with Pyra and how she told him about Elysium.

"Hm…oh by the way, Azurda was it? I never properly thanked you for saving us. Dromarch said that you carried all the way here to safety, well all things considered anyway," Nia said sincerely as she turned to Azurda who was nibbling on his bit of food. He looked a little cute actually but Rex had to remind himself that he was still the same old gramps, just smaller.

"Oh think nothing of it. You did help Rex after all," Azurda said and Rex noted how he didn't say they saved Gil also, then again as Rex recalled he didn't exactly need saving.

"Regardless we owe you our eternal thanks, Titan" Dromarch said respectfully as he bowed his head.

"Yeah, you really saved us out there. By the way it must be handy being able to regenerate. I wonder why we're losing Titans if they can just regenerate like that," Nia pondered, her ears sticking up a little bit.

"Hmph! Not just any old Titan can do this! Only someone like me can and-"

"Oh would you give that line a rest already Gramps, we get it," Rex said, annoyed.

"Excuse me? I don't like that attitude Rex. If you had just listened to Gilgamesh and come back before agreeing or if you had listened to me after you agreed without thinking we wouldn't be in this mess!" Azurda pointed out. Rex just gave him a apathetic look.

"He's got a point Rex, you did act recklessly," Rex turned to see Gil walking into the campsite with a large pile of firewood in hand and he saw that he was holding that sword he was trying to fix before it disappeared back to his vault. Had he figured out how to make it work finally?

"Hey I did what I thought was right!" Rex defended and Gil scoffed before he snapped his fingers and one of his gates passed over him, putting him back in his usual clothes but he kept his hair up.

"Hey how do you do that anyway?" Nia asked as she sat back up. Gil glanced at her but didn't reply as he sat down on one of the logs they brought up for makeshift chairs. When he sat down he responded.

"It's called the Bab-ilu or I call it my treasury, vault or gate. It's connected to me, I don't know how or why but it's just been that way since I was a boy. It lets me keep all my things inside it though it already has quite a few things inside it. My armor and the weapons you see me use or launch were all in there already. Don't ask me how much is in there, I'm still trying to figure that out myself," Gil said quickly and Nia tilted her head.

"What a peculiar ability. It is quite effective though from what I've seen. Does it also give you the extra speed and strength you've shown? Or do you have a Blade hidden in there?" Dromarch asked and Gil shook his head.

"No, I've always been this way. I don't have a Blade either but I suspect I could if I wanted to, just never saw the need to," Gil mentioned and Nia leaned forward.

"So if it's called a treasury does that mean there's money in there too?" she asked and Gil chuckled.

"Indeed, tons of it actually. I don't think I've found all of it actually," Gil said thoughtfully but then he deadpanned when Nia seemed to get hopeful.

"Don't look for handouts. I don't particularly like relying on the money in there. Besides, it would just go back to my treasury eventually, everything in it is bound to it unless I let it go," Gil mentioned and Nia's face fell and her eyes flattened.

"It is rather amusing though whenever I give particularly vile Mongrels money from my vault and then it disappears after I walk away," Gil smiled fondly at the memories and Rex could barely contain his laughter, he remembered some of those times since he was there.

"Heh…really?" Nia asked and Gil nodded. Then he sighed and picked up one of the sticks from the firewood pile and tossed it at Rex suddenly, nailing him in the face.

"Ah! Hey! What was that for!?" Rex grumbled as he rubbed his forehead. Gil just glared at him as he sat down by himself on the empty side of the fire on one of the logs they set up.

"Because you completely ignored me and the old man and now look at the mess we're in," he said with fire and Rex winced at his tone. He could tell Pyra and Nia were concerned while Azurda and Dromarch just watched.

"You made a completely idiotic move! That Mongrel, Bana waved a few coins in front of your face and that was enough to make you jump through the hoops! Do you have any idea how stupid you were?" Gil asked harshly, his hands gripping his makeshift chair so tight that it crunched. Rex understood his anger but he refused to stand down.

"I don't care! If I didn't go then they would have gotten Pyra!" Rex shouted back but Gil didn't seem phased.

"Rex…" Azurda tried but Rex didn't let him finish.

"No, they would have gotten Pyra and I can't let that happen. I can never let them have her," he said as he looked at Pyra who smiled slightly. Then he heard Gil scoff, unimpressed.

"I heard what our "employers" said when they came back up. They said that they were paying for our lives, Rex! Do you understand? We were never supposed to come back! Do you have any idea what that means?" Gil asked and Rex glared back at him.

"That's good then! We saved all those people from dying," Rex declared and Gil shook his head.

"Tch! You're a fool Rex and one day it's going to be your end. I knew it was a bad idea for Corinne to let you out so early," Gil said and Rex's eyes widened but Gil waved him off.

"Not like it matters anymore, what's done is done…and even if I don't agree, you did find a few allies out of it…" Gil grumbled as he opened up one of his gates and pulled a pitcher and a glass out. Then another gate appeared with a tray of food on it. The smell of actual food knocked them all out of the tense situation.

"Hey! You have actual food in there?!" Nia exclaimed as she pointed a finger at him, accusingly. Gil just laughed as he took a bite out of his food, which was a cooked fish and steak surprisingly enough. How the heck he cooked it was beyond Rex but he didn't care, he cared that he had food!

"Of course. I have a vault that's always available to me no matter what. You think I wouldn't keep something like essentials in there?" Gil asked as he kept eating. Nia's ears twitched in annoyance.

"I get the food cooked and then I put it in the vault. Thankfully my treasury seems to maintain things in good states even if I've left them in there for a while," Gil shrugged as he continued to eat. Rex face palmed since he should have expected that. No wonder why the he never seemed to go out to eat, he always had food on him! So much money could have been saved if he knew about that!

"You all got to eat, I haven't yet," Gil shrugged uncaringly as he kept eating.

"Gilgamesh!" Azurda chided and Gil grumbled in annoyance and snapped his fingers. Multiple gates appeared with a few trays of food in them, which he placed on the ground gently. Nia snatched the tray with fish on it before Rex could blink and began eating it with much more fervor than he really expected. Not that he cared much since he took one of the trays and began eating quickly as well.

"Thank you Gilgamesh," Pyrrha said respectfully as she took the final tray.

"Heh…well you're very welcome, at least someone says it," Gil chuckled as he waved her off. Rex was too busy enjoying himself to really talk back. When he was finished he felt sleepy and laid down without much words and in what felt like an instant, sleep took him.

* * *

 **Later Gil's POV**

 _"Are you sure about this-there's no telling how long this could take," someone said._

 _"Yes, I'm sure. There is no telling when they will strike again, sealing-is the only sure way of insuring that they will be there when the time is right," another said. Both voices were distorted so Gil could not tell who was talking, only what they were saying. He couldn't really see anything coherent either. He saw what he thought was a yellow figure talking to a white figure but other than that he could make out nothing._

 _"I'm not talking about them. I mean are you sure about-there's no telling how long it will take. Perhaps there is a better way?" the first voice suggested._

 _"No, I am certain this is the right thing to do. My time is coming to a close and it is time to-" Gil was beginning to get annoyed since things kept getting cut out of the sentences._

 _"If you're sure…" the first voice responded._

 _"It will be fine. You will be there, I know it. Thank you for being here at the end and-"_

"…" Gil blinked as he realized that he was no longer in his dream but awake. It was still a bit dark but it was beginning to turn a little brighter. He wagered it must have been close to sunrise.

"At least I didn't wake up in the middle of the night again…" Gil grumbled to himself as he sat up. He glanced at Rex and nearly laughed when he saw that he was lying next to Nia, who had herself wrapped around him like a cat, no pun intended. Dromarch was acting as a pillow for both of them, curled around them protectively. Gil smiled more fondly when he noted how pleased Rex looked.

"So naïve…" he thought as he looked down and realized that he had a blanket over him. He recognized it as one of the things he kept in his vault but why was it out? He didn't take it out before he went to sleep. He was sure about it.

"Strange…did it come out while I was sleeping? Can I even do that?" Gil asked as he pulled the blanket off and put it back in his vault. He stood up slowly and reached for Enki but then he realized that there was more than just the twin blades leaned against the log he was using as a pillow.

"?" Gil's eyes narrowed as he saw that his "fixed" treasure was sitting next to his twin blades. Part of the reason he had volunteered to do the grunt work of looking for firewood was because he wanted to see how strong the blade was. It didn't let him down, it cut through the trees and wood with ease, even easier than Enki could cut them actually. Something felt odd about it though, well the weapon wasn't weird itself but he felt like someone was watching when he was using it, except when he checked there was no one.

"Hm…" it was yet another thing that seemed to come out of his treasury during his sleep. He picked the sword up and stared at the gem at the top of the hilt. It looked so much like Pyra's core, in fact he would wager it was identical, they were even the same color. Yet something felt different about it, less gentle and more brutal if that made sense.

"…" Speaking of the redheaded Blade, he noticed that she was no longer sleeping where she was when he nodded off. He also noticed that the Old Man wasn't sleeping in Rex's helmet anymore. He looked around and spotted them both standing near the pond.

"Conversing in the dark?" Gil thought as he made his sword go back to his vault before he picked Enki up and clipped them to his belt. Then he approached the pair as silently as he could.

"So…you're going to go after Jin and Malos?" Azurda asked and Gil stopped and listened in.

"Yes…I cannot simply let them continue on their current course. They will bring the world to ruin if left unchecked. I was surprised that "he" didn't stop them but after seeing things now I see why," Pyra answered and Gil simply had more questions pop up into his head.

"I see…and you're going to get Rex and Gilgamesh mixed up in this?" Azurda asked somberly and Gil frowned.

"Mm…" Pyra tilted her head down and Azurda sighed.

"Not like it matters. Nothing you could do would deter that boy from going with you. Plus while Gilgamesh might seem abrasive, he will not allow needless deaths to occur and he will not let Rex go off alone…" Azurda said and Gil nearly chuckled at that. As much as he wanted to be mad, he had to agree. Rex would never simply go back home, he would go to the ends of the earth to help this girl. Gil could see it in his eyes and the way he fought.

"The fate of an Aegis never changes does it?" Azurda asked. Gil's eyes narrowed at the thought, so she was THAT Aegis was she? This was getting interesting indeed.

"Afraid not," Pyra replied and Azurda sighed.

"I noticed half your core is missing and Gilgamesh has as well. If he doesn't realize what it means yet he will soon enough," Azurda mentioned and Gil listened in intently.

"Yes…but the other alternative was to let him die…I couldn't let that happen…" Pyra said and Gil's eyes widened. So, when Malos said those words to him on the ship, he actually meant it. They really did kill Rex…Gil's blood boiled at the thought, he should have killed them all where they stood but he foolishly tried to toy with them, he should have just obliterated them where they stood. Still…it did make him see Pyra in a new light at least, a good one.

"Promise me you will take care of Rex," Azurda said and Pyra placed her hand over her heart.

"I promise," she pledged and Gil sighed as he decided to make himself known finally.

"It's a bit late for talking isn't it?" he asked as he approached them. They both turned to him as he approached but he didn't give them any hints that he heard them.

"Gilgamesh," Pyra greeted and he nodded.

"We were just talking about the recent events. I think I'll go back and rest myself actually," Azurda said as he fluttered back to the others. Gil smiled slightly at the way he didn't tell him the whole truth. He picked that up from him even if he wouldn't admit it. He waited for the old man to fly away before he addressed the Blade.

"I have to say, I never thought that I would meet the Legendary Aegis," Gil said and Pyra smiled.

"Well now you have," Pyra said and Gil nodded as he crossed his arms and turned towards the lake.

"You know, Rex is a good kid," he said next and Pyra glanced at him, as if asking for more.

"Ever since we were kids he's always been like that," Gil continued and Pyra's eyes widened.

"You've known him that long?" she asked and he nodded.

"Yes. You could say we are brothers almost. He's always been this way. Determined, strong, pure of heart, thick headed," Pyra laughed at the last one and he smiled slightly before he frowned.

"I noticed that half of your core is on his chest. I have a feeling its more than just a fashion statement too," Gil mentioned and Pyra froze.

"Gilgamesh, I-" he held his hand up and she paused.

"Whatever your reasons, it saved him I think. For that I thank you. I don't know if I can trust you fully or that girl and her Blade but I can say this. You all have my thanks for protecting my thick headed friend. I give him a hard time but I would tear the world to pieces to keep him safe," Gil said fondly before he held his hand out to her.

"So…will you save him again if need be and help me keep him out of trouble?" he asked. Pyra was surprised, no more than that, she was in shock probably. She stared at him like he just told her the secret of the universe. After a few moments she came back and she actually smiled brightly and took his hand.

"Count on it. I promise that I will protect him no matter what,"

* * *

 **Phew talk about a lot of writing. This took way longer than I thought it would and I mean way longer. I was thinking this would only be 3000 words at most. Guess I overdid it a little. Oh well more content is generally good, I think people prefer longer chapters anyway.**

 **Stay tuned! I will finally start getting to where things start picking up again next time!**


	5. Hot Pursuit

I own nothing

 **Oh man I had fun with this one, especially in the beginning. I'll talk about it more at the end, anyway enjoy.**

* * *

Chapter 5: Hot Pursuit

 **Rex's POV**

"Hey I think we're coming to the end of the forest!" Rex shouted as he ran ahead of the group towards the literal light at the end of the root tunnel they were walking through.

"Whoa…" Rex gaped as he not only stepped out into full on sunlight but he got quite the view too. He was overlooking lush green plains with wildlife that made the monsters in the forest look like puppies. He also saw a large waterfall leading to a rather large lake. Rex could also see the head of the Titan they were on as well as the town they were going to.

"Welcome to Gormott Plains. Home of the Gormotti and province of the Empire of Mor Ardain," Nia said as she came up behind him and crossed her arms smugly. When they woke up or rather when Rex and Nia woke up in a…rather comfortable position and after they got over their embarrassment, Nia told them where they were and that they were actually going to correct way if they were trying to find a town.

"Wow…I've never been here before…" Rex said and Gil chuckled as he came up beside him.

"Oh my goodness, what a wonderful view!" Pyra said breathlessly.

"It is rather different from home isn't it?" Gil asked and Rex looked over at him.

"You've been here before, Gil?" Rex asked.

"A few times yes but I never stay for long. My work takes me all over the place considering some things require a personal touch," Gil explained as he crossed his arms.

"Heh, well this sure beats the view on Gramps's back any day," Rex said, which brought a laugh out of Pyra and Gil.

"It seemed to serve you well!" Azurda complained and this time Rex laughed with his Blade and his friend. Then Nia cleared her throat and they quieted down.

"That town there is Torigoth, biggest city on Gormott. If there's anything you need you'll find it there, the place is bustling nowadays since the Ardainian Empire is heavily invested here. I'll go with you all to the city but after making sure you guys are settled in, you're on your own," Nia explained and alarms went off in Rex's head immediately.

"Wait what? On our own?" he asked.

"Of course, you should know that I can't be seen with you," Nia said.

"Is it because…you're supposed to be one of "them"?" Rex asked and Nia nodded solemnly.

"Yes, they're my crew after all," she said and Rex's eyes narrowed at the thought of Jin and Malos.

"Crew? Even after they tried to kill you? They didn't wait very long before they turned their weapons on you when you helped us," Rex pointed out.

"True…but they're still my crew and they're the closest thing I have to a family…" Nia said sadly as she turned away. Rex's heart pained when he heard that. He couldn't just let her walk off back to people who would probably kill her the moment they saw her.

"Nia…" Rex reached out to her but Gil grabbed his shoulder and shook his head at him.

"Rex, its her choice to make. Even if it's far from an intelligent decision…" Gil said and Rex wanted to argue but he knew he couldn't. He just sighed and nodded.

"Well lets get going, the sooner we get to the city the better," Nia said and Rex felt a little hurt from that but he didn't voice anything as they made their way down to the plains.

"Illya and the others would like it here don't you think?" Rex asked Gil as they walked through the fields. The blonde smirked slightly as he looked towards him but it wasn't a particularly friendly one, it was more mischievous.

"Probably, though our hands would be full trying to keep them safe…Mark would be good but you know how Illya can get and the twins aren't exactly low maintenance either. Don't even get me started on Kuro either," Gil mentioned as he nodded towards the packs of giant wolf like creatures running about and Rex chuckled nervously. He had him there.

"Who are Illya and Kuro?" Pyra asked as she came up to his unfilled side.

"Yeah, I think I heard you mention one of them once and who are these twins you mentioned?" Nia asked also. Rex noticed both of them had taken to walking by both of his sides while Gil had moved away to allow Nia to stand in his spot.

"They're the kids back home. We all grew up together in the same home with the same caregiver, though they're all quite a bit younger than me and Gil," Rex explained, he felt a bit weird in his position but chose not to react to it.

"Really? Oh that's right…" Nia seemed to remember something and seemed a little saddened by it.

"Yeah, they all live under the same roof Gil and I used to live under," Rex continued.

"We still live there technically. It's still our home," Gil added and Rex nodded. They both lived away from Fonsett nowadays but that would always be their home. Corinne said so herself when they both left.

"What are they like?" Pyra asked.

"The kids?" Rex asked and she nodded.

"Well Kirk and Kazuna are the twins we mentioned. They're little balls of energy, both of them. They always seem to find ways to get into trouble," Rex sighed as he remembered them.

"Though they always get caught…specifically by me," Gil mentioned and Rex laughed a little as numerous memories of Gil dragging them both back to the house by their ears came to surface, he always had a bright smile on his face when he did it too. Pyra and Nia seemed confused and amused by his actions but didn't question him. When he finally got himself under control he continued.

"Yeah then there's Mark, Illya and Kuro. Mark is the youngest one there but he's really smart. He's a little on the shy side though so he doesn't go out much and thankfully that means he also never gets in trouble. Then there's Illya and Kuro…" Rex didn't know how to describe those two really. Well that wasn't true, he had ways to explain them but…

"Illya is about a year younger than Rex and she has a crush on him. She tries to get his attention at every opportunity including being a "damsel in distress". I think she even tries to get herself hurt so that he'll be the one to treat her. Kuro has the same feelings but she's a lot more…cunning with her ways," Gil said bluntly and Rex flushed. His friend simply laughed at him and even Gramps joined in on it.

"Gil! Illya and Kuro don't have a crushes on me!" Rex exclaimed and he suddenly felt a shiver run down his spine like he just said something terrible. Gil and Gramps just laughed and Rex just knew they were laughing at something he didn't understand.

"She sounds…nice…" Rex looked at Pyra and saw her giving a sweet smile but something seemed off about it. It reminded him of the smile one of his maids would get when she was displeased with something.

"Yeah…" Nia grumbled about something and Rex looked at her to see that she seemed angry again. What the heck was going on?

"Should I tell them about the time Kuro pretended to get a sunburn and Illya caught you rubbing the lotion on her back?" Gil asked.

"Hey! It's not my fault! She actually looked like she was sunburn so I offered to help her and no one else was around!" Rex defended and Gil scoffed.

"She's a Blade, Rex. Even if she did get sunburn she would easily heal from it," Gil deadpanned and Rex sighed as he remembered that time. It was…awkward as hell. Illya wouldn't speak to him for a week for some reason and Kuro was a little too close during that time as well. Corinne and Gil wouldn't stop laughing at him too and they never told him what was going on! Come to think of it, Gramps would laugh about it too! He still had no idea what the heck happened! He was just trying to help her out!

"Well they sound lovely-wait, Blade?" Pyra went from her weird smile to confused in an instant and Rex took the way out.

"Y-Yeah! Kuro is a Blade. She's Illya's Blade to be exact. Though you might think they were sisters from the way they act," Rex said quickly. Thankfully Nia seemed to lose her anger too at that revelation.

"Wait what?" Nia asked.

"Mm…we don't know how it happened. They just washed up one day near Fonsett. Kuro was the one who carried Illya towards the village. Rex was the one that spotted them then the Old Man and Corinne picked them up. Of course Corinne took them in since they had nowhere else to go. They've been staying in Fonsett ever since. That was about…eight years ago now, around a year after Rex came to us," Gil explained, returning to a serious mood.

"Really? Hm…" Pyra seemed thoughtful for a few moments. Rex wondered what she was thinking about.

"No one came to get her?" Nia asked and Rex shook his head.

"No. That's sadly common though," Rex said sadly and Gil sighed softly as well.

"Indeed but life there is pleasant for them at least. Corinne cares for them all deeply. Plus with Gilgamesh and Rex are providing for them, they're living more comfortably. Corinne even has help now thanks to their efforts," Azurda chimed in and Rex smiled.

"Yeah, it's a good thing too. Corinne would have her hands full if Gil and I left without putting someone in to help her out. A little bit after Gil left he sent two women to help with taking care of the place, Sella and Leysritt. They're…interesting in their dynamic. Sella is very nice and she takes her duties seriously but Leysritt on the other hand…well she'll watch the kids at least. The kids seem to like them both equally. Can't say I understand why though since Sella is the only one who does work out of the two," Rex sighed. It had been a few years since he had last seen his home.

"Sounds like a cozy place," Nia mentioned and Rex wanted to respond that it was but before they could, Gramps interrupted them.

"We're here," he said and they all seemed to realize that they had talked during the whole trek across the plains. Talk about burning through time.

"Ah right, well come on. I'll get you to the Inn and then I need to get going," Nia said quickly as she started walking a bit faster. Rex frowned at the mention of her leaving again but he sighed and followed along.

Torigoth was a lot different from Argentum at least when you glanced at it. For one the place was a proper city instead of just a guild. There were actual buildings instead of just trading posts everywhere, though from what Rex could see the market was the place they were entering from. Before he could think on it more though, Nia suddenly stopped.

"Nia? What's wrong di-"

"What the hell is this?!" Nia screeched, yes screeched. She was staring at a bounty board. Rex noted that two posters had Jin and Malos on them. He assumed that Nia noticed one with her face on it and while he was right…

"Is this supposed to be me?!" Nia screeched. Nia was staring at a wanted poster with her name on it for sure but the drawing was…unique. It had her hair correct but her face was drawn more like she was part tiger. At least Rex thought that was what it was.

"Wow…what a remarkable resemblance…" Dromarch noted and the look Nia gave him could melt glaciers.

"Oi! What did you say!?" Nia hissed at her Blade. The tiger seemed rather worried since he knelt down a little as if he was bowing.

"erm…I mean that it seems they have um…fused our traits for the picture…" Dromarch appeased. The others moved over to get a better look but before they could get a clearer look, Nia lunged and tore the poster up with her claws. Rex backed off quickly while Pyra and Gil did as well.

"Grr…" Nia hissed as she threw the shreds into the air.

"Well…that was…" Gramps didn't finish the thought.

"Lets just go…" Nia grumbled, her ears flat as she went ahead towards what was probably the city square.

"Right…" Rex followed after her while the others all followed silently. Thankfully they were going to get a distraction since there was a commotion happening.

"What's this?" Pyra asked. In the middle of the square there was a small stand set up with a few Mor Ardain soldiers manning it, Rex would recognize those uniforms anywhere, they were wearing light armor over thick cloth armor, perfect for weathering most environments but not exactly the best protection against weaponry. Though Rex would prefer actually getting to the battlefield than dying before getting there. The soldiers were talking to the crowd that had gathered from the market.

"It must be a recruiting rally. The Empire has been doing that a lot lately," Gil replied.

"Yeah, the uneasy peace is getting even more unstable as days pass. The Empire has been trying to build its numbers, Uraya has been doing the same," Nia concurred, all traces of her anger gone for the moment. Instead it was replaced with annoyance.

"They were even recruiting at Argentum as fruitless as that is. I have to say at least they know where to go to make sure the most people hear them. The market in the middle of the day is bustling," Gil said and Rex recalled the Imperial soldiers at the trading post. He thought they were only there to get supplies, apparently not.

"What are they doing? I don't see anyone signing up," Rex was confused. If this was supposed to be a recruiting rally then why wasn't anyone coming up? There were plenty of people around, listening to whatever the guards were saying but no one was approaching. Sure he didn't expect that many to sign up but times were rough so he expected to see at least some people signing up. Speaking of the people, he noticed something. They all had some animal traits to them similar to…

"Hey Nia, are you from Gormott?" Rex asked and Nia placed her hands on her hips.

"Took you long enough. Yes this is where I was born though I'm not from Torigoth itself," Nia explained with her usual bite, which Rex was starting to get used to.

"To answer your other question, Master Rex, this isn't a normal recruiting rally. They're recruiting Drivers," Dromarch said as he nodded towards the guards. One of them placed a glowing object on the table of their stand, a core crystal.

"Ah…this is unusual. They're actually trying to recruit from the common populace. They're supposed to only give Blades to their proper military not just random people they recruit," Gil said thoughtfully.

"They must have run out of potentials in their main armies or they're running short," Dromarch said. That confused Rex, what did that mean? Couldn't anyone become a Driver? Sure getting a core was one thing but still, the military should have more than enough people who would love to be Drivers.

"They must be desperate then," Pyra commented.

"Ok hold up. What do you guys mean? Can't anyone become a Driver?" Rex asked finally and they all looked at him oddly.

"Rex, Drivers are not simply made. There are specific…terms you need to meet in order to become a Driver," Nia explained and that confused Rex.

"Just watch, some poor slob is going up to try," she sighed and pointed towards the stand again. Rex watched a rather burly man push through the crowd and knocked a young teen and his family aside.

"I'll do it! Watch how it's done!" he proclaimed as he stomped up to the core on the table.

"Hm…Mongrel doesn't know what he's getting himself into," Gil scoffed and Rex looked at him before he turned back. The man placed his hand on the core and it started glowing brightly but suddenly the man started crying out in pain, he tried to wrench his hand back but it was like the core was like a magnet, keeping his hand attached. Rex's eyes widened as he watched, what the heck was going on!?

"Didn't stand a chance…" Nia commented somberly. Pyra frowned and placed her hands over her core and Rex turned back to see blood spurt from the man's mouth before he fell onto his back, the core finally let go of him and stopped glowing. The man twitched for a few moments before he went still.

"How unfortunate, he had such high spirits too," one of the soldiers said before a few of them picked the man up and carried him off.

"Wh-What the heck was that? All that blood…why did he…" Rex didn't know what to make of it. He had never seen someone try to unlock a Blade Core and he had certainly never seen something like that happen.

"It's one of the risks with becoming a Driver. Not everyone can be a Driver; only some people are born with the "gift" to unlock cores. Everyone else…well you saw what happened. It doesn't always kill them but it's not pleasant at all and it's a pain to recover from, not that I would know," Nia explained as she nodded forward. Rex took that all in easily enough but it was still surprisingly to find that out.

"Wait, Gil you knew that would happen. Have you seen that happen before?" Rex asked and Gil nodded.

"Yes I did, a few times actually. I was in Uraya at the time though for a…transaction so to say. They were doing something more or less the same though it was with actual soldiers not civilians. I think they went through at least ten people until they finally found someone who could unlock the core," Gil explained easily and Rex nodded. Still though, it was so brutal.

"That's the life of a hopeful. Not everyone has the potential or "aptitude" so to say," Azurda said as he pulled himself up to look over Rex's shoulder.

"Aptitude, what does that mean?" Rex asked and Gil pointed towards the teen that the man from before knocked over.

"Watch him. I think he has it," the blonde said and Rex looked forward. The teen was struggling a little to get to the core since the three children around him were trying to keep him from going.

"Please don't do it big brother!"

"Yeah! If we lose you we won't have anyone to look after us!"

"Please don't do it!"

"I have to do this guys! The job at the docks isn't paying enough and Dad is nowhere to be seen. I have to do this, then we'll be set for life," the teen proclaimed as he shook them off and strode forward. Rex felt his heart pain a little, watching that. It reminded him a little bit of when Gil was leaving Fonsett to go find work outside the village. The other kids really didn't want him to go and Rex would be lying if he said he didn't feel the same way.

"Alright here goes…" The teen placed his hand on the core and it started glowing. The boy started yelling but it was in surprise not pain.

"Ah, good eye. There's your aptitude," Nia praised as she crossed her arms. The core flashed and suddenly it changed shape in the boy's hand. It slowly turned into a long axe that glowed with energy similar to how Nia's blades lit up when she went into battle. Then a figure wearing a mixture of a suit and armor with a mask that covered one of his eyes appeared behind him. The man's Blade no doubt.

"Wow…never seen that happen before," Rex noted as he watched the teen's siblings clamor around him and congratulate him as he shook hands with his new partner.

"That's how Blades are born, you touch their cores and then the core turns into a weapon and the Blade's body will appear to you. Though that one is a little more unique than most, most blades look a bit more robotic so to say and less organic, though every Blade is unique of course," Gil explained.

"Indeed. That's how I came to my Lady," Dromarch concurred.

"Really? But Pyra never…well…" Rex looked down at the crystal on his chest in wonder.

"Pyra is the Aegis, remember. The normal rules don't apply to her or you for that matter," Nia reminded as she tapped the crystal on his chest.

"Whatever she did to save you isn't something that normal Blades do. Not that I'm complaining though," Nia said as she looked back over at the new Driver.

"Aegis…what's that supposed to mean anyway?" Rex asked as he looked over at Pyra though she didn't answer.

"It's supposed to be a special kind of Blade," Nia explained. Rex thought on that for a moment.

"I would say the Aegis is more of a legend than just special. The old stories of the Great War speak of its great power," Gil interjected and Rex noticed Pyra look uncomfortable from that. Gil seemed to notice too since he didn't say anything else about it.

"We should move on. The important bit is over, all that's left is the ceremony and those are usually boring," Nia said as she nodded towards the market district.

"I agree," Pyra said quickly before she started walking in the direction Nia pointed out. Gil prodded Rex forward gently and the boy stumbled slightly but he rushed up to walk with his Blade. She flashed him a smile and he smiled back but he had no idea what to say.

"A Legendary Blade?" Rex thought before he felt Nia nudge his arm and he turned to her.

"So I'll take you guys to the inn and then I'll have to take me leave," Nia explained and Rex frowned.

"You sure we can't convince you to stick around?" Rex asked and Nia smiled.

"You're sweet to offer but…well it would be best if I left. Jin and Malos are not going to let you guys just run off I suspect and me being with you will just make it easier to find you. I'm wanted by the kingdoms remember, so I might just bring more unwanted attention onto you," she explained and Rex wanted to argue against it but before he could, Nia tensed.

"You there! Stop!" Rex tensed as well as he realized that some of the guards had stopped them. They were walking through one of the side alleys past the market. There were still a few people around but nowhere near the same amount, which was probably why their group stuck out.

"What do you want? We have broken no laws," Nia asked as she crossed her arms though she remained tense. Rex looked behind them to see that there were guards there as well but Gil was watching those. Then the one that looked like he was in charge pointed Nia out.

"That one there is a enemy of the state. She's a member of Torna!" the guard accused.

"Torna?" Rex asked.

"There's no mistaking her. Gormotti Driver with a White Beast Blade, she looks exactly like the wanted poster!" the guard captain exclaimed.

"Wait what…" everything was going bad real fast.

"See for yourself…" the guard captain pulled out a large roll of paper that had the same…interesting drawing of Nia on it as the wanted poster. Now that Rex had a clearer looks he could see just why said girl was so mad earlier.

"What the hell!" Nia hissed as she saw it.

"Heh…" Gil chuckled behind them and Rex couldn't help but chuckle a little as well though Nia turned her hiss on him for that. Rex yelped and backed into Pyra a bit but she didn't budge and he quickly shuffled forward since he felt like he backed into something he wasn't supposed to.

"Now about you…" Rex turned back towards the guard captain who was regarding him now.

"You look like a Driver…Registration number?" he asked and Rex pulled up a blank at that.

"Um…539?" Rex tried; they were his favorite numbers after all.

"Don't mock me boy. All new Drivers must register with Indol. No number must mean you are an illegal Driver!" the captain accused and Rex flinched back as he stepped forward.

"We'll see what the Consul has to say about you!" he reached out to grab him but then he was suddenly grabbed by his neck and wrenched to the side.

"I don't think so Mongrel…" Gil growled as he pulled the man off the ground so he was at his eye level.

"U-Unhand me fool! I will have you arrested for this!" the man threatened though he didn't sound very threatening.

"I doubt that…" Gil threw the man away, literally threw him towards the guards in front of him and the blonde laughed in amusement when they all tumbled onto the ground.

"It's you who are fools, Mongrel!" Gil proclaimed. Rex was grateful and horrified at the same time.

"Gil! What are you doing?!" he chided and Gil spared a glance at him.

"They were going to arrest you. It would be a little hard for you to reach Elysium from a cell…" Gil said and Rex groaned in annoyance but he couldn't deny he was correct.

"Fair enough…" Rex grumbled as he pulled the Aegis out and prepared for battle.

"Hey! What are yo-ow! Ofh!" Rex looked behind to see that Nia and Dromarch had already dispatched the other guards.

"Well you definitely know how to cause trouble. Get going, Dromarch and I will draw them off," Nia explained as she clapped her hands together as if she was wiping dust off.

"Ugh! How dare you! Get them!" Rex turned around to see the captain pointing at them from the ground but none of the guards did anything, mainly because they were all on the ground thanks to Gil and Nia.

"Lets go!" Nia shouted as she waved for everyone to run while they were on the ground. Rex nodded to his friends and they all made their way forward but then Pyra grabbed Rex's arm and stopped him right as a projectile flew past them and created a wall of blue flames, blocking off their exit.

"What?!" Nia shirked as she almost ran head first into the flames, while Gil and Dromarch just turned around to glance at who created the wall. Rex did as well and he was in for a surprise.

"My my…such a commotion…"

* * *

 **Gil's POV**

"Great…" Gil thought in his mind as he narrowed his eyes at the new obstacle.

"I was out for a stroll and then I heard such a ruckus coming from here. I suppose it was a good thing I came…" said obstacle was actually a woman, a Blade to be precise if the core on her chest was any indication. The power she radiated made Gil actually pause and observe her.

She was relatively tall but not quite at Gil's height but she was taller than Pyra. She was wearing a purple/indigo dress that was quite fitting on her with the figure to match it and there was little left to imagination. There was a belt she wore with a dagger and what Gil thought were ether boosters as well. Her feet and arms were covered in some kind of crystal like armor that started out dark at the tips and got brighter the closer they got to the main body. She had long purple hair that was glowing at the tips and the two buns of hair on the sides of her head that were alight like candles with blue fire at the top. There was no way of telling what color her eyes were since they were closed but anyone could tell she could see clearly. She also had these two marks above her eyebrows that glowed like her armor and hair. She was wielding two rapiers in her hands, but Gil had a feeling they were more than swords. If Gil wasn't worried about her he would say she was attractive, actually he would say it even if she was.

"Lady Brighid!" the foolish captain immediately stood on his feet and saluted said Blade that now had a name.

"Brighid…" Gil said the name to himself. He recognized the name, she was a famous Blade from the Empire, and so was her Driver actually. They came up a few times in reports he got from his associates and underlings. His head started throbbing though as he thought on it more and words began to flow through his mind.

 _"Finished the sparring already? I was hoping to join in," a voice eerily similar to Brighid spoke._

 _"Just about, we went for at least three hours already. H-binding ability on Blades makes it difficult to combat her and –is no joke either. His attacks come from all directions and he hits really hard," Gil could barely tell that was a woman talking, it was distorted a bit._

"Mm…" Gil groaned as he shook his head to try and shake the words from his mind. But when those stopped he got a flash and more words.

 _Gil saw three figures running through what he thought was a palace. They all ran into a room that happened to be a bedroom and quickly hid behind or under anything they could. He recognized that one of them was blonde while the other two had black hair. Gil couldn't make out what they looked like though since the image was a bit too distorted for that. They were probably all kids from their sizes. The smaller black haired figure hid under a bed while the bigger one hid under a table. Then the blonde went into a wardrobe and closed the door. Then he did see a familiar figure finally as they slowly entered the room and looked around as if they were looking for someone…it was Brighid…_

 _"Come out come out, wherever you are. I know you three are all in here…" she said in a rather cheerful tone. She walked over to where the blonde was hiding and she slowly reached out as if to grab the door but before she did the image stopped._

"!" Gil blinked and realized that his vision had stopped and he was back to his normal senses. Thankfully his visions didn't last long when he was awake. Still that was…interesting. He looked at Brighid again and this time he noticed that she was looking at him, or at least she would have if her eyes were open.

"Interesting…" she said.

"She's a Blade…" Rex said, shocked.

"And a powerful one too," Pyra noted as she glared at the new arrival, cautiously. That was an understatement, Gil had sensed her presence through the ether but he didn't know she was coming to them. Blades, Drivers or…others generally didn't make themselves known through the ether unless they were in battle when they couldn't help it. The fact that she was broadcasting herself for all capable of sensing her was alarming…

"Where's her Driver?" Rex asked as he looked around and Gil frowned. That was odd, where was her Driver? He didn't sense any Driver nearby, none that could have been this Blade's Driver anyway.

"My Driver is occupied at this moment…I am more than enough to handle you however…" Brighid said as she pointed one of her swords at them. Gil narrowed his eyes at her. Rex pulled the Aegis out and was preparing for battle already while Nia did the same. Their Blades began feeding them the necessary ether as well.

"Careful Rex…her posture is troublesome," Gil informed and Rex spared him a glance before he turned back to their new foe.

"Maybe but we can't let her stop us…" Rex said.

"Hahaha! Lady Brighid is the "Jewel of Mor Ardain"! She's the strongest Blade in the Empire!" the Captain proclaimed, as he seemed to gain his confidence back.

"Lovely…" Gil sighed as he pulled his swords out. He didn't want to use his armor just yet. It was noticeable and he didn't need any extra attention. Bad enough they had someone that was recognizable already. He would use his gate if he needed to, hopefully he wouldn't.

"Hm…Captain…who are these people?" Brighid asked softly.

"Lady Brighid, these people are working for Torna. I ask you to lend us your power to bring them in," the captain reported. Brighid looked at them again and then her head tilted towards Pyra.

"Emerald Core Crystal…so the rumors are true…the Aegis has returned…" Gil tensed and he noticed Pyra had as well. Just great…so now Pyra was easily recognizable apparently.

"Interesting…not two but three interesting developments have occurred…Captain Padraig, your orders are to take them alive, do not kill them…" Brighid commanded and the Captain bowed.

"Of course, Lady Brighid. Boys lets go get the you-know-what!" the captain bowed out with the rest of his men after giving that command.

"Here she comes!" Nia said as their opponent walked forward and crossed her arms in a stance.

"I'll go first…you two try to go from the sides," Gil said as he stepped forward.

"You sure?" Rex asked and Gil glared at him slightly.

"Of course! Did you forget who I am!" Gil snapped and Rex wilted but he didn't respond. Pyra was giving him an odd look for some reason but Gil didn't have time to think about that.

"Sheesh, demanding aren't you?" Nia asked but Gil didn't dignify her with a response. He simply charged in headfirst.

Brighid seemed surprised; she probably didn't expect the only "normal" one in the group to go in first. He would make her regret that thinking. He swung towards her neck but to her credit she not only recovered and reacted, she deflected his strike deftly. He scoffed and swung again from up high and she raised her weapons to block it but her arms tensed from the strike and she grimaced slightly before she pushed him off. This time she moved faster and tried to stab him after her counter but he brought one of his swords up and blocked it as he stepped to the side. Then he attacked her again but she blocked him once again, this time her block held firm and he narrowed his eyes as he attacked her with his other sword to try and impede her but she blocked that as well but he pressed in this time. Her face was set in a serious tone as she held him back. If he forced it further he could probably win that way but he didn't want to waste time. Gil was vaguely annoyed that his strength couldn't just overwhelm her immediately but he was impressed at the same time. He should have expected that from a presence as strong as hers.

"You have such interesting eyes…like a serpent's…" Brighid commented and Gil's eyes narrowed.

"It's always the eyes people comment on…" Gil thought before he suddenly pulled back and Brighid stumbled slightly.

"Hiah!" Rex and Nia both came down on her from both sides while she was off balance and Gil smirked. But then he noticed Brighid smile slightly and his eyes widened.

"Clever…but…" Brighid easily dodged Nia and Rex's attacks with an unexpected amount of flexibility and then she landed a kick in Nia's gut, sending her flying before she locked Rex's sword in between her two blades.

"So you're the Driver of the Aegis? Hm…" Brighid seemed nonchalant as she held Rex back who was trying to push through with all his might. Gil charged in again and Brighid broke her hold with Rex and butted him in the head with the hilt of one of her swords, making him reel back. Then she turned to block Gil's strikes.

"And you…you're interesting as well…where's your Blade?" she asked and Gil just grit his teeth as he batted her swords down to create an opening for a stab but she easily moved out of the way and sent her own attack.

"Tch!" Gil leaned back out of the strike and backed up a few paces. He glared at her and sighed in annoyance, as he was about to open his gate.

"Gil don't! The people!" Rex shouted and Gil froze as he remembered that there were quite a few people around still. Not that many but enough that he would run the risk of hitting them if he missed. Brighid also might just deflect his attacks into them by accident or worse she could dodge and then he would hit anything behind her.

"What do you purpose then? I can't just force her down without taking too much time and she will have back up soon enough!" Gil said and Rex's sword ignited.

"Nia! Go in after I attack!" Rex commanded as he powered up his strike.

"Ready, Pyra?" Rex asked.

"Ready Rex!" she answered as the ether flow between them changed from blue to yellow. Gil smiled slightly at the act before Rex charged in.

"Hiah!" Rex sent out a small fireball towards Brighid, who simply sent one of her own to counter it. When the two fireballs collided there was a small explosion of heat that kicked up smoke.

"Go Nia!" Rex commanded.

"Roger!" Nia and Dromarch jumped through the smoke towards Brighid but then Gil heard something fire followed by Dromarch and Nia crying out.

"Ahh!" Blade and Driver both fell out of the smoke covered in a glowing yellow net.

"Ah! Can't move!" Nia cried out.

"Ngh! My power is not responding…" Dromarch growled.

"What are those?!" Rex shouted before he had to bring his sword up to deflect a projectile. Gil narrowed his eyes and saw that the guards had returned with some form of launchers. Then Gil remembered what they were, he read up on it before.

"Ether Nets…" Gil cursed under his breath, he forgot that the Empire had developed those. He never thought that he would be facing them down until now. They were supposed to be in the developmental stage.

"Those are Ether Nets, capable of suppressing a Blade's power. Try using your precious Arts now without being able to use the ether!" the captain boasted and Gil really wanted to blast him in the head but he held himself back.

"Even Blades have weaknesses, these nets capitalize on one of them…" Brighid explained calmly. Then she pointed one of her swords at them and the firewall behind them grew bigger.

"Surrender now. You will not be harmed if you do not resist," Brighid demanded in a calm voice.

"She's strong…" Pyra said.

"This is without a Driver as well," Azurda chimed in for the first time.

"Rex! Gilgamesh! Azurda! Pyra! Just run! Forget about us!" Nia shouted at them. It wasn't like they could do that at the moment considering that there was a literal wall of fire behind them.

"No way! We're not abandoning you, Nia!" Rex shouted.

"It's not abandoning! I'm asking you to please escape! You have your mission and I have mine!" Nia exclaimed and Rex actually seemed to pause and that before he sighed.

"Ugh…fine…but we will come back for you, I promise!" Rex proclaimed and Gil saw Nia smile slightly.

"Projecting a little far into the future aren't you? We still need to get away…" Gil pointed out as he stared at Brighid. He sighed in annoyance.

"Rex, I need to use my gate. The Bab-ilu will tip the scales in our favor," Gil said.

"But the people!" Rex objected.

"It's them or us, Rex. And I pick us," right as Gil finished something was fired over their heads and Gil identified it as some kind of rocket. The rocket did not hit Brighid though; it went past her and hit a pipe above her. The pipe exploded and water poured out over Brighid and the guards like a waterfall, some of it even reached them as well.

"Ngh! Water?!" Brighid's hair and crystal armor lost quite a bit of their glow and Gil felt the heat at his back cease entirely and he saw that the fire had gone out completely.

"Lets go Pyra! She can't move!" Rex shouted as he held his sword out to her and she nodded as she grabbed the blade and the firey blade began to glow brighter, any water near them just evaporated like it was next to the sun.

"BURNING SWORD!" they shouted as they sent the powerful fire blast towards their opponent. It went right by her though and hit the ground, kicking up a storm of dust and steam, it was far from anything Gil had seen them use against Malos but they couldn't afford to go too overboard with the people.

"Rex, Pyra, quickly!" Gil ordered as he grabbed Rex by his arm and pushed him down the path. Rex turned around to glance at Nia and Dromarch though.

"Nia we'll be back-" Gil shoved him forward and Pyra grabbed her driver's hand and pulled him further along. Gil glanced behind them and saw that the guards were chasing them but Brighid had stayed put, staring at them through the dust.

"Going to see her again…" Gil thought as he turned around and kept pace with Rex and Pyra.

"Where do we go?!" Pyra asked. Gil looked around and saw a ramp leading down to the lower levels of the city.

"That ramp! We'll never lose them up here!" Gil shouted and Pyra pulled Rex down the ramp while Gil followed closely behind them. As they ran down the path though a door opened up and a small Nopon waved at them.

"Come on! In here, Friends!" he shouted. Gil didn't generally trust Nopon's but he supposed they didn't have much choice. They all ran into the door that slammed shut behind them. Then Gil heard the soldiers chasing them run by without so much as knocking. Well…at least it worked.

"Tora save new friends!" Gil looked down at their "savior" and was a little unsure of what to think. He looked more ruffled than most Nopon, Gil had seen and that was saying something. He was wearing overalls over a thick shirt then he had a tool kit and multiple other pouches slung across his hip and a pair of goggles on his head. He must have been a younger Nopon since he was a bit smaller than the others Gil had met and his voice was still a little high as well.

"Um…right, thanks for helping us…Tora but er…why did you help us?" Rex asked, Gil would have said he probably wanted money but he had a feeling that statement wouldn't be quite correct here.

"Meh meh…well Tora not really like those bully soldiers. Tora was going to test Boom Biter on them and then Tora see friends fighting them. Boom Biter missed but the results were good enough, yes?" Tora explained excitedly. He reminded Gil of Mark when they could get him to talk about something he liked. It was endearing if a bit annoying.

"Oh so you fired that thing at the pipe?" Rex asked.

"That right," Tora replied as he bounced on his little feet.

"I'm Rex and this is Pyra my Blade and partner. This guy here is called Gilgamesh or Gil for short," Rex introduced them all and Gil smirked slightly since he saw Azurda huff a little at not being introduced.

"Its wonderful to meet you," Pyra greeted warmly.

"Indeed…please refer to me by my full name though," Gil said simply.

"Nice to make meetings! Haha! Mm…" Tora seemed confused for a moment before he looked up at Rex with metaphorical stars in his eyes. It made Gil smile slightly, perhaps there was more to this one than meets the eye.

"Um…Tora have more reasons for helping friends. But I explain everything when we get to Tora's house," Tora said quickly before he walked or waddled down the corridor.

"Heh…he's an interesting one," Gil said and Rex looked at him in surprise.

"Wow, I guess we really should see what he has to say then," Rex shook his head.

"Like you weren't going to already…" Gil sighed as he walked past him but then he stopped when he felt a small pull in the ether, it wasn't much, just a small pull. It was coming from…Pyra? He turned around to look at Pyra who turned away quickly. He noticed her hands had flames in them but they went out fast.

"Is something wrong Pyra? The guards ran by us," Gil asked. Except Pyra shook her head and went off quickly and Rex shrugged before he followed along. Gil turned around and looked back at the way they came from. He was sure that was Pyra, it felt like her energy and she was the only Blade close enough to sense like that, in fact she was the only Blade nearby. After a little bit he shrugged and went after the others. He chalked it up to Pyra being anxious.

"Probably nothing…"

* * *

 **If you guys don't get the reference I was making, lets just say I was pulling some things from Gil's universe to make things interesting. If you guys don't know what I'm talking about go ahead and look up the characters I mentioned, I didn't make any of them up.**


	6. Artificial

I own nothing

 _Italics means either a dream or a vision._

 **Bold means transitions or Author Notes**

* * *

Chapter 6: Artificial

 **Rex's POV**

"So…this is your home?" Rex asked Tora as they left the corridor and entered a rather sizeable room.

"Yes. That was back entrance though. Front entrance is over there!" Tora said offhanded as he walked over to the table set up in the area Rex assumed was the kitchen.

"Makes sense," Rex said as he looked around. It was all one room but it was a pretty large room in Rex's opinion. The place was surprisingly tidy all things considered. He was expecting the place to have tools and snacks lying around from the mannerisms Tora gave off. The place was rather cozy looking if Rex was any judge. The fireplace was older fashioned and the kitchen looked old but everything was clean. There was some furniture around to sit on and thankfully that was all human sized. There was a deer head on one of the walls but Rex wondered if that was fake or real. He even spotted a bunch of clothes hanging from a wire up above. It reminded him a little bit of home. There weren't many high-tech things about the home though Rex spied a few gadgets lying around in various places. Tora probably kept those stashed away somewhere. Though the table where Rex assumed Tora ate had an interesting design. It had a pot in the middle while the table was around it and there was a sort of vent built above it to filter the smoke from the pot out of the house. Then he looked over and realized that they were hanging right over the cloud sea.

"Whoa! Talk about a view!" Rex shook his head. They were lower down on the Titan than the rest of the town was now. Then again they did take a trip towards the lower end of Torigoth, so it made sense.

"Meh. Nice view eh? Tora like to sit and watch the cloud sea sometimes. When Tora isn't working of course." Tora said as he hopped up onto one of the chairs.

"The place is hidden nicely as well," Gil said appreciatively as he sat down on one of the comfier looking chairs without asking to. Azurda even hopped out of Rex's helmet and sat himself on the arm of the chair.

"You have a wonderful home," Pyra said warmly as she sat down at the table with Tora.

"Mehehe…" Tora rubbed his head with his wings before he turned towards Rex again.

"Rex-Rex, Gilgamesh. Tora want to explain other reasons for helping you," Tora said and Rex walked over but he was a little confused by the name.

"Rex-Rex?" Rex was confused.

"Yes! You see…Tora always wanted to make Driver friends," Tora said excitedly and Rex smiled a little.

"Ah, so you're interested in Drivers huh?" he asked and the Nopon began hopping around on his chair excitedly.

"Yes! Tora think it amazing how Drivers and Blades work together to make amazing power! Tora want to be Rex-Rex and Gilgamesh's sidekick! Speaking of which, Gilgamesh, where is your Blade?" Tora asked as he looked towards the blonde in the room. He blinked before he laughed a little.

"Sorry little guy. I haven't had the…pleasure of getting a Blade just yet," Gil responded and Tora seemed shocked. Come to think of it, Rex was wondered why Gil never became a Driver himself. He should have been able to, even knowing what the risk was. Did he really just not want to? True with his powers he didn't exactly need to but Rex thought that he would have liked to become a Driver.

"But Gilgamesh fought so well, you fought with such speed and strength! Surely Gilgamesh must be Driver," Tora said but Gil just shook his head.

"I'm not. Everything you saw was all me," Gil responded rather proudly and Tora seemed shocked at that before he turned to Rex.

"But, Rex-Rex is Driver right?" Tora asked hopefully and Rex nodded but he was wondering why he was calling him that.

"Well yes but um why are you calling me that? My name is just Rex, one Rex not two," he said as he scratched his head.

"What's the difference? Double name just means Tora has so much respect for Driver! Plus Rex-Rex sounds nice does it not?" Tora asked and Rex couldn't help but smile at his energy.

"Well ok, if it will make you that happy, sure you can call me that. By the way is there no nickname for Gil or Pyra?" Rex asked and Tora placed one of his wings under his chin before he shrugged.

"Meh meh. Pyra and Gilgamesh names don't sound as good with double saying," Tora said and Rex almost said he could probably use Gil's shortened name but he had a feeling that Gil wouldn't appreciate that. The blonde would probably snap at him.

"Well ok I guess. But about that sidekick business, how about we just be friends instead yeah? I don't need a sidekick and Gil certainly doesn't need one," Rex said.

"Really? Rex-Rex and Tora will be friends? Yay!" Tora shouted for joy as he started hopping around the house. Pyra laughed a little at the display and even Gil chuckled a little.

"Heh…what a funny guy…" Rex laughed himself; Tora was acting like the kids back home almost.

"Energetic too," Azurda mentioned. Then something clicked in Rex's mind.

"Hey, Tora are you familiar with Torigoth?" Rex asked quickly and Tora stopped hopping around to look at him.

"Meh? Well Tora knows a bit but unfortunately Tora tends to stay here. What does Rex-Rex want to know?" Tora asked.

"Rex are you going to…?" Gil left the sentence unfinished.

"Do you know where the Empire would keep their prisoners?" Rex asked.

"He is…" Gil sighed.

"Rex you're not going to do what I think you are right?" Pyra asked and Rex gave her a sheepish look before it hardened.

"We have to go save Dromarch and Nia, they need us," Rex said firmly.

"I knew it…" Gil groaned in annoyance but he didn't say anything against the idea just yet.

"Oh that Driver girl and her Blade that were with you before Tora's daring rescue?" Tora asked and Rex nodded.

"Meh meh…well Tora would need to ask around for that kind of information but first we should eat!" Tora said excitedly.

"Yes, maybe we could ALL think more clearly with some food," Gil agreed and Rex frowned.

"It has been a little while since breakfast and Gil didn't feed us that time…" Azurda said and Gil scoffed.

"I can't always give you handouts. You would never learn otherwise…" Gil responded.

"Can we just eat later? I want to go looking for Nia and Dromarch," Rex said, annoyed but then there was an audible groan that came from his stomach. The salvager's face heated up in response.

"I think that answers that question," Gil said, clearly amused.

"If it's alright with everyone then, I'll make us something to eat," Pyra interjected and Rex turned to her in surprise.

"You can cook, Pyra?" Rex asked and she nodded and she snapped her fingers and a flame appeared on her finger.

"As long as it involves fire I can do it. But…if you want ice cream or anything cold you're going to have to ask someone else…" Pyra said as she put out her fire.

"Well you can't have everything. How long do you think it'll take?" Rex asked.

"Shouldn't be too long. There are enough ingredients here. Should be five minutes or so," Pyra explained.

"That quick? Wow, those powers must be really good," Rex said and Gil chuckled as he went over to sit at the table with them, with Azurda on his shoulder.

"Impressive. You have a good head on your shoulders, you know how to fight and you know how to cook. Rex, I think she's perfect for you, she can keep you out of trouble and feed you," Gil said as he placed Azurda on the table, who was letting out a few chortles. Pyra turned scarlet while Tora laughed.

"Yeah, I couldn't ask for a better partner right?" Rex asked and Gil deadpanned while Azurda and Tora went silent. Pyra just got up quickly and started working on the stove for whatever they were going to eat.

"Well, we have to work on that still…" Gil sighed as he wiped his hand through his hair.

"Indeed…" Azurda said and Rex tilted his head in confusion.

"Work on what? Gramps? Gil?" Rex scratched his head in confusion. They were being weird again.

"Don't worry about it because the food is done!" Pyra said quickly as she came over with a plate in each hand and put one in front of Rex and another in front of Tora. Then she went back and got a plate for herself and the others.

"Wow…" Rex was in shock that she had managed to make something so quick. He didn't think she was serious when she said five minutes or less. The food looked good and by god it smelled good too! It was spaghetti and meatballs; she even got bread for them too! It was like something Gil would pull out from his gate. He grabbed a fork and stuck it in and brought some of it up and took a bite and his eyes widened.

"Mm! This is so good!" Rex praised as he started eating even more of it. It tasted slightly better than Sella and Leystritt's cooking and on par with Corinne's!

"Mm! So tasty and delicious! Tora loves this!" Tora praised as he to enjoyed his meal.

"Mm…I haven't eaten like this in over a hundred years," Azurda sighed happily. Rex spared a glance at Gil to see that he was eating silently. Did he not like it? After a bit he paused and looked at Pyra passively.

"I don't suppose you have some extra for me to put in the Bab-ilu do you?" he asked and Pyra giggled in response. Rex sighed in relief too.

"I do actually. Feel free. I'm just happy that it turned out so well. It's been a while since I last cooked. I was afraid I got a little rusty over the years," Pyra said happily as she ate her own food as well while Gil went off to put the food in his gate.

"Oh don't worry, there wasn't any rust in it-I mean uh…it's good!" Rex nearly smacked himself for that misstep.

"Nice recovery…" Gil said sarcastically and Rex glared at him.

"Oh shut up!" Rex retaliated and Gil rolled his eyes before he shoved four plates of the food into his gate nonchalantly. Rex would never stop thinking it was weird whenever he put stuff in there like that.

"ooo! What was that?!" Tora asked, excitedly.

"It's my…vault, it's where I keep my things. It's something I've been able to access all my life," Gil said simply, and he didn't seem like he wanted to say anything else about it.

"Tora wish he had something similar. It would be so easy to get things done," Tora lamented and Gil shrugged. Then Tora bounced back and looked at Pyra.

"Oh! Before Tora forget. Tora wants to know, how did Pyra still use her powers with all that water earlier? Is she not a Fire Blade?" Tora asked and the girl in question just shifted nervously.

"Well yes…but um…" Pyra seemed short on words.

"Come to think of it, Brighid did use fire abilities like Pyra and yet when the water hit her, her powers waned," Azurda commented.

"Yes…Brighid's power was definitely weakened when the water hit her but I didn't sense Pyra's weaken, at all really," Gil added.

"Hold on, what are you guys talking about?" Rex asked. Gil groaned and massaged his temples while Tora piped up.

"The world is filled with elemental energy. We call it ether; it comes in many forms, such as fire and wind. Blades and Drivers draw on it to use their powers. Fire not do so well in water though, so how did Pyra do it?" Tora asked curiously but Pyra seemed rather uncomfortable.

"Well my powers don't come from fire exactly…" Pyra said nervously.

"Oh! Then what does Pyra draw from?" Tora asked excitedly but Pyra seemed to clam up even more.

"Enough! She's uncomfortable, Tora don't you see it?" Rex chided suddenly, having enough. Tora wilted a little and he tapped his two wings together nervously.

"Tora sorry," the Nopon apologized and Pyra just smiled at him.

"Don't worry, I'm sure I'll be able to tell you about it soon," she said.

"Don't worry about it, Pyra. If you don't want to say it you don't have to," Rex said supportively and Pyra's cheeks turned a little red.

"Ok that's enough about that though. We've already used up a lot of time. We need to rescue Nia and Dromarch!" Rex said quickly, detracting the uncomfortable subject. Everyone glanced at him now, their expressions mixed.

"Rex…think about what you're doing," Gil said slowly but Rex wouldn't have it.

"What do you mean? We can't just leave them there!" Rex threw back and Gil sighed.

"Rex, this isn't the same as last time. You are literally saying you want to ATTACK the Empire of Mor Ardain. Think about that. We already have Malos, Jin and their merry band of Mongrel Psychopaths after us. You want the Empire after us too?" Gil asked and Rex felt his annoyance rise but he did have to admit everything he said was correct.

"Gilgamesh does have a point. The Empire would make it hard to move around if they become our enemies. But…they have likely already labeled us as criminals," Azurda pointed out and Gil sighed.

"Yeah! So you see Gil! They're already going to get in our way one way or another!" Rex added and the blonde massaged his head again.

"Ugh…" Gil pulled out the flask he kept in his coat and took a long drink from it before he sighed.

"Always so stubborn…" he grumbled and Rex took that as him agreeing to the plan.

"Right so we need to ask around town if we want to figure out where friends are," Tora explained and Rex nodded in agreement.

"Problem…" Gil interjected and Rex sighed in annoyance.

"Gil's right, Rex. Unfortunately Pyra will stick out like a sore thumb. Blades don't have green cores like her and Gil isn't exactly inconspicuous either…you are going to want to be careful as well, Rex, they would have told people about you as well," Azurda pointed out and Rex had to concede the point to that.

"I have my own way to get around without being seen. We probably can't be seen as a full group either, they would pick us out for sure…" Gil explained as he leaned on the table.

"Right so we just need to worry about Pyra then," Rex said before he looked at Gil.

"So, do you have anything in that vault that she could wear?" he asked and Gil gave him an odd look.

"Nothing that wouldn't make her stick out even more and anything that would hide her would not fit her. Nothing that I am currently aware of anyway," Gil said casually. Then Tora jumped off his seat and got something from a cupboard and brought it over.

"Try this!" he said excitedly and Pyra picked it up and unfolded it. It was a full body cloak with a hood.

"Oh this can definitely work," Pyra said as she put the garment on. It was simple but it definitely hid most of her body, especially her core. She even put the hood up to cover her head.

"That should keep people from noticing her at a glance at least," Azurda said as he floated onto Rex's shoulder. Gil stood up and pulled Enki off his belt and they both disappeared into golden mist.

"I suppose I should change as well…" Gil sighed as he snapped his fingers and one of his gates opened behind him and went over him. He changed his black jacket for a white coat and he pulled a "simple" longsword with a golden hilt from his gate to attach to his hip. Then he pulled his hood over his head.

"This should suffice to keep them from noticing me right away, most people won't know me by looks anyway," Gil said and Rex nodded in agreement.

"Right then, so we should split up right?" Rex asked and Gil nodded.

"It would probably be for the best. That way if one group gets caught the other group will be fine," Gil said.

"Um…friends?" Tora piped up and they all turned towards him.

"What is it Tora?" Rex asked, he looked like he wanted to tell them something important.

"Tora would like to show you all something," Tora waddled over to a part of the room that was covered by a curtain.

"What is it Tora?" Rex asked as they all walked over to see what he wanted.

"Reason Tora has really wanted Driver friends is because Tora really wanted to be driver himself. Except well…" Tora's head turned downwards and he started pressing his wings together sadly.

"You weren't that lucky?" Gil asked and Tora nodded.

"Yes…Tora unfortunately not possess potential to be Driver," Tora sad somberly.

"Wait what? How could you know? Don't you just walk up and try it-oh! …You already did didn't you?" Rex felt like slapping himself for that slip up.

"Tora did try. A year ago Tora tried to sign up with those Imperial guys…" Tora sighed and Rex frowned.

"Oh…Tora you mean you…" Pyra covered her mouth and Tora nodded.

"Yes…Tora had to suffer through nonstop nosebleed for three whole days!" Tora said and then Rex felt all the tension just leave as he deadpanned.

"Wait…that's it?" Rex asked and Gil sighed.

"What do you mean that's it!? People can die from blood loss!" Tora exclaimed as he jumped up into Rex's face, making him nearly stumble.

"Whoa! Ok! Ok!" Rex apologized quickly as he scratched the back of his head nervously.

"That all in past though. Tora have new plans now!" Tora said quickly and before Rex could ask what, the Nopon grabbed the curtains and swung them aside to show them…a girl? No wait…it was shaped like a little girl but she was clearly robotic. She was dressed in some form of outfit that looked like a super hero outfit almost and she had puple hair down in two ponytails.

"What's that?" Pyra asked the obvious question.

"This is Artificial Blade!" Tora said proudly.

"Artificial! This hasn't been done before…" Azurda exclaimed.

"A…Artificial Blade? I-ugh!" Rex turned to see Gil clutch his head gently before he shook it off.

"Gil?" Rex asked worriedly but the blonde waved him off.

"It's nothing, just a headache. I can't believe that someone actually managed to pull this off," Gil said quickly with no room for dissenting opinions.

"Yes! I call her Poppi! When she is complete even no potential Tora can be Driver!" Tora said excitedly, drawing their attention back to him.

"This is simply incredible. You built this Blade yourself Tora?" Azurda asked. Tora frowned at that and looked down.

"Grampypon and Dadapon started it. But…Grampypon die and Dadapon still nowhere to be found so Tora is all that's left," Tora said somberly and Rex frowned.

"Oh Tora…" Pyra said softly before the little guy's energy returned with a vengeance.

"No worries though! Tora is happy to continue their work and make them both proud!" Tora said quickly. Rex smiled slightly at his enthusiasm; it reminded him of how he loves to Salvage.

"This Blade looks finished though. What else do you need, Tora?" Azurda asked.

"Indeed, it looks finished and quite detailed too I might add," Gil commented as he crossed his arms. Rex could tell Gil was interested, he was always interested when people invented new things, he said it was one of the things that people did that was worthwhile to him. That's why his business tended to center around people that thought of new ideas and technology. Nothing war oriented of course, Rex made him promise.

"Hehe! Tora is nearly finished! Tora just needs to buy missing parts! Except…Tora not have any money…" Tora deflated suddenly and Rex blinked in surprise.

"Wait…none at all?" Rex asked and Tora nodded.

"Nothing…not even single gold…everything go to Poppi…now that she's almost finished Tora is fresh out of gold," Tora said sadly.

"So…are you asking us for a loan?" Rex asked as he scratched his head. That would make sense; they could probably figure something out. Gil scoffed at that idea though and Rex was about to ask why but then Tora cleared that up.

"Actually…Tora was hoping friends would give…generous donation…" Tora said bashfully as he rubbed his nose with his wings. Then Rex deadpanned as everything suddenly came together. There was the legendary love or shrewdness for gold that all Nopon possessed.

"B-But if Tora completes Artificial Blade then Tora will be able to use full abilities to help Rex and friends on rescue mission!" Tora said quickly. Rex thought about it and having another Driver and Blade with them would help. If anything the extra bodies would help considering they were going to be fighting the Empire and they were probably going to run into that Brighid again. Rex trusted that Tora created something special so he and his Blade would be a good addition to their team.

"Well when you put it like that you're right as long as it works. So how much do you need anyway?" Rex asked and Tora turned away.

"Heh…nothing more than sixty thousand…" Tora said bashfully and Rex gaped.

"What?! Are you trying to get a new organ too!?" Rex exclaimed.

"Rex! I think we owe him our help. He did help us after all. Besides, I think I can help him out?" Pyra interjected. Then Azurda floated in front of her.

"You don't have anything illegal planned rig-ugh!" Rex smacked Azurda down onto the ground while Gil laughed at the display.

"Don't even joke about that Gramps," Rex said, annoyed. There was no way Rex was going to let Pyra do anything like that, not even if he was offered all the gold in the world.

"How about this?" Pyra took one of her earrings off and held it out.

"This is a natural crystal. It should fetch for at least sixty thousand," Pyra said and Rex immediately pushed it back towards her.

"No way, I can't let you do that. It wouldn't be right! I'll pay for it myself!" Rex said proudly.

"You don't exactly have money Rex and there isn't exactly any work around right now," Gil interjected and Rex sighed.

"I know that! But I-huh!?" Rex caught something that was flying at his face. The object let off a little jingle and Rex blinked before he looked at it to realize he just gave him a rather large pouch of gold. He stared up at Gil in shock who just scoffed.

"That should be more than sixty thousand. If we're going to do this then we're going to make sure we get parts in the best quality, nothing less," Gil said proudly and Rex blinked. Then Gil looked at Tora.

"By the way, if anyone asks, I helped build her," Gil said and Rex deadpanned, so he wanted a share of the glory in case things turned out bigger than they thought.

"No problem, Gilgamesh is official partner in endeavor! Just like Rex-Rex!" Tora said happily and Rex's annoyance disappeared in an instance and was replaced with some joy.

"What parts do you even need Tora?" Rex asked.

"Three Bion Connectors and one Perfect Range Sensor. Sensor is for eyes and the connectors are for the hat," Tora said. Rex questioned that last part but he shrugged since it wasn't much of an issue since they had the money.

"We should be able to find the parts at the Market! Though the Bion Connectors might be a little harder to find since they are not exactly used much," Tora said.

"Right then. We should get moving then. We should also try to figure out where Nia and Dromarch are being held while we're out there," Rex said and Gil stepped up.

"I'll handle that," Gil said and Rex looked at him in surprise.

"You will?" Rex asked. Gil was the one adamant on not saving them, so hearing that he would actually take the first step himself was more than a little surprising.

"Of course. If you did it you would just go running around asking random people suspicious questions that are bound to get you caught. Besides we agreed that we wouldn't all go together as a group," Gil pointed out and Rex chuckled slightly since he wasn't wrong. Gil went to the front door and paused to look back at them.

"Well then lets get on with it. I'll go and get the information I need assuming its out there. You just worry about getting those parts. I'll be back here in three hours max. I trust you can get what you need and be back here by then?" Gil asked. Rex just nodded and the blonde left without a word.

"Gilgamesh is a bit curt sometimes," Tora pointed out and Rex chuckled.

"Don't worry. He doesn't mean anything negative at least that time he didn't. Come on lets go," Rex prodded as they left to do their assigned task. Hopefully everything would go smoothly.

* * *

 **Gil's POV**

"Hm…not going as smoothly as we thought…" Gil thought. He was sitting at the inn they were originally going to before the Empire attacked them. He was sipping some wine that he ordered while he watched Rex dive into the cloud sea and come out with a box. The blonde chuckled when he saw Rex open the box and jump away as a small krabble sprung out but was quickly burned by Pyra. Rex looked into the box after the danger passed and then he kicked the box over in frustration.

Gil saw them enter the market district and purchase something from one of the vendors but now they were fishing in the cloud sea for something. That was over an hour ago and they had been at it since. Apparently the vendor didn't have all the parts they needed so they were resorting to salvaging. Tora, Azurda and Pyra had been sitting loyally by the pier while Rex worked. Rex had not found what he was looking for yet unfortunately but at least he would get a decent amount of money from the stuff he did pull out.

Gil had not been just sitting around though since he left. He had asked around the town discreetly, even passed a few bribes here and there and of course he used his own little connections he made when he was in Torigoth last time. He didn't get the whereabouts of Nia and Dromarch but he did get pointed in the direction of someone who would know. It was the town's very own self-proclaimed informant. It was a very innocent sounding title but everyone knew better.

He set up a meeting with her and even told her what he wanted and he was told to wait at the Coedwig Inn for her. So he had been sitting there for the past hour waiting for his information while he watched his oldest friend toil away at the cloud sea for whatever he needed.

"If only Illya and the others could see this…" Gil said to himself as he watched Pyra fret over Rex, he had gotten a small cut from one of the Krabble he pulled up with him. Gil smirked at the sight, he could picture what Kuro and Illya would do if they saw what he was seeing. They would probably freeze up before they started berating Rex and the poor boy would be horribly confused on what was going on.

"Mr. Uruk?" Gil glanced to the other end of his table and saw a yellow furred Nopon sitting across from him.

"Turuni. I trust you have my information?" Gil asked and the Nopon pulled out a envelope.

"You have my money?" she asked and Gil pulled a pouch of gold out from his coat. They exchanged the goods easily enough. Turuni checked the gold while Gil looked over the envelope.

"Is this accurate? And how recent is this?" Gil asked quickly and Turuni nodded.

"It is very recent, a few moments ago in fact. That why Turuni tell Uruk to wait…It is very accurate as well. Turuni hear it straight from top," she said and Gil nodded and since the transaction as done the Nopon got out of the chair and left Gil to his business.

"Right then…" Gil opened the envelope and took the contents out. He flipped the paper over to see what was on it. It said that Nia and Dromarch were being held on the ship docked right now. His eyes went up to the giant ship sitting next to the city just off the edge of the Titan.

"That's annoying…" Gil thought as he kept reading. The ship belonged to the Special Inquisitor of the Empire, Morag.

 _Then Gil had a headache followed by an image of a young girl he couldn't make out running with two boys that he couldn't make out either. They were all laughing as they ran down the halls but he couldn't see what they were running from._

"…Mm…those are annoying…" Gil shook off what he saw. Those things were coming through more and more lately. He was trying to ignore them since he could make no sense from them. Though there was that vision he had when he saw Brighid…did he…know her before? No that was impossible, he would have remembered that. Then again, his memories of his time before coming under Corinne's care were fuzzy.

"Got to stay focused…" Gil said as he started reading his information again. It was troubling that the Special Inquisitor herself was there. That meant that they would have to fight Brighid and her Driver together. That would be challenging, Brighid was formidable by herself, how much stronger would she be with her Driver? Gil had heard of them before, how couldn't he? Unfortunately that claim that Brighid was the strongest Blade in the Empire was probably not false and her Driver was just as impressive if the stories were true. Gil was aware of only one other Driver and Blade pair that had a reputation on the same level as Brighid and Morag.

To make matters worse, Brighid recognized Pyra as the Aegis, so that would probably bring the Empire down on their heads soon enough anyway. That would make things difficult since the Empire was one of the major players in the world. That would mean that a good deal of Alrest would be considered hostile territory to them.

Unfortunately their foreseeable problems didn't end there. If word got out to Uraya that the Aegis was around then things would get very messy indeed. The Aegis was supposed to be a Legendary Blade of untold power, power beyond any normal Blade. It would get bad if everyone knew that they had it, Gil had no desire to get stuck between two nations vying for control over it. The more likely scenario would be that they would try to kill them and claim the Aegis for themselves. There was also the fact that Jin and his merry band of Torna were coming after them still and he had a feeling their group was larger than three people.

Something else that seemed off though was Gil remembered there being two Aegis's in the story on the Aegis War. Twin Blades that were said to be used by the Legendary Hero, Addam. It varied from story to story though, some stories just said that there was only one Blade while others said two. It was the sad thing about time passing, knowledge was lost. He shook his head before he got too caught up in that line of thinking though.

"Best keep focus on the present for now…" Gil sighed and decided to leave all of that for after they got Nia out of prison, he kept reading along the notes. He came across something interesting.

"Hm…Saber of Red? A woman knight wielding a two handed sword, donning silver and red plate," Gil didn't recognize that title. The notes said that she's supposed to be some kind of Knight or more likely a mercenary hired by the Empire but Gil was having trouble believing that she was some simple mercenary if she was accompanying the Special Inquisitor. It was odd that this person referred to themselves as a knight though. Alrest hasn't had knights in over four hundred years. There were no other notes on her though, which he didn't like. Turuni better not have held out on him otherwise there would be hell to pay. He sighed and kept reading but then he stopped suddenly.

"...Execution…" Gil's eyes widened and he reread the notes to make sure he was seeing things correctly. They were going to execute Nia…that was not good. Her execution was scheduled to occur the next day as well! He had to tell Rex.

"Where are they?" Gil looked up and saw that they were still where he last saw them. He almost ran off but he stopped and thought better of it. If he told them now then Rex was likely to drop whatever he was doing and storm the ship recklessly. They needed to finish that Artificial Blade first before they tried to tackle that ship. Yes…that would do. Gil apologized silently to Rex before he tucked the letter back into the envelope and put it in his coat. He picked his glass up and drank some more of the wine and winced.

"Tastes are not as refined here I suppose…at least in wine…" Gil sighed. He would love to just pull some of his own out but he couldn't very well just open his gate up in front of everyone. Well his flask would have to do. He pulled it out and poured some of the wine into the glass and shook the glass a little to mix things together. He took another sip and nodded in approval.

"Hm…they still have around an hour and a half…maybe I should order food to pass the time," Gil thought. He shrugged and did just that, he ordered the most expensive thing on the menu and he even paid for them to have his order done first. The waiter gawked when he saw the amount of money he pushed into his hand and apparently the innkeeper thought the same since his food wasn't just pushed to the front of the orders but it was also done in five minutes.

"Ah the joys of having money," Gil chuckled a little as he enjoyed himself. The food wasn't as good as what Pyra made but it was satisfactory for him, definitely good for an establishment like an inn though. Perhaps he would sponsor the Inn a little for giving him something good. It was just fish cooked to perfection, right on the bone with some sides. He could picture Nia's jealous face if she saw what he was eating.

"Hm…" Gil was still watching Rex dive in and out of the Cloud Sea and Gil laughed a few times when he saw his friend get frustrated by his catch or when Pyra fretted over him. It was cute; Rex still didn't seem to get a hint though. Gil would have to fix that somehow. Perhaps he should just make one of them trip into the other, or perhaps he could try to make them share a room? Ah when they would finally break Nia out it was going to be fun for Gil to watch her and Pyra fight over Rex's affection. Gil just had to make sure that Rex wouldn't be too oblivious. He was so caught up in his scheming that he didn't notice someone approach him until they were already there.

"Is this seat taken?" Gil turned towards the one who asked him that question. The one who asked him that question was a young woman but she was different at least enough to make him pause before brushing her aside. She was probably around his age or a little older at least based on looks alone. She had long blonde hair that seemed to just flow down, either it was well kept or she was just plain lucky to have hair that stayed in shape naturally. She had gold eyes that were full of confidence and even annoyance. She was beautiful of course, her face didn't have a trace of makeup on her, it was all natural beauty, which Gil appreciated. The fact that her face was beautiful and she knew not to put makeup on meant confidence too, something Gil liked a lot. She was dressed in a conservative dress but Gil could tell that she had a beautiful body to go with her face; her figure was easy to make out even in her dress. The woman huffed though during his little observation and sat herself down.

"I'll take the ogling as a yes," she fired off, crossing her arms as she leaned back into her seat. Gil's eyes narrowed a little at her attitude. She didn't seem threatened at all by his glare though. A fearless type apparently, not new but Gil wondered if it was just a front. Something was strange about this girl though...strange enough for him to humor her presence.

"Like you weren't doing the same…" Gil replied and her golden eyes widened like she wasn't expecting that reply. Gil smirked slightly at her when he saw her golden eyes harden. So it wasn't a front for cowardice? Good, Gil was tired of that usual stereotype.

"Hmph! So you admit it! Pervert!" she stated strictly as she crossed her arms and turned away from him. Gil chuckled slightly at her reaction. So she was that kind of woman, he could work with that.

"You did intrude on me so I think I have a right to see who is interrupting me…besides, you didn't dispute my claims…" Gil countered slyly. He could picture Rex sputtering in confusion and shock if this woman said that to him. Thankfully, Gil was not Rex. Said woman flushed slightly before she huffed and turned away from him again.

"Speechless? I have that effect…" Gil said smugly and the woman scoffed.

"Yeah…because of how insufferable you are…" she muttered and Gil chuckled again.

"So…are you going to admit yo-"

"Why are you just sitting here alone?" she asked suddenly and Gil was interested in her question so he let the interruption slide.

"Because I am alone at the moment. The people I'm with are busy at the moment," Gil answered simply and the woman narrowed her eyes at him again.

"You have been glancing back and forth between your food and that group standing at that pier for the past ten minutes," she said and Gil's nerves went on edge just a bit. He made sure not to show anything outwardly though. The woman didn't stop there though.

"Hm…are those the people you're with? You keep glancing at them like you're watching over them," she pointed out and Gil felt impressed that she could see that and the fact that she had the nerve to point it out to him.

"If they're your friends shouldn't you be with them instead of just sulking over here?" she asked in a more reserved tone and Gil shrugged.

"Salvaging isn't really my thing. Besides I already did my errands so I'm relaxing right now," Gil answered as he glanced at Rex and the others again. Tora opened up one of the chests Rex dragged out only for the thing to fall on top of him since he was leaning on it to see what was inside. Rex and Pyra laughed at his misfortune before they pulled the chest off of him.

"Heh…" Gil scoffed slightly in amusement at the sight.

"Hm…you should really go to them, you seem fond of them," the woman spoke up again and Gil smiled slightly as he turned to her.

"Well I suppose I could but I'm content to watch for now. I think I would just ruin the moment if I was around," Gil responded and the woman frowned at his response.

"Besides, if I'm not watching their backs then they'll probably walk into something not so friendly or more likely something unfriendly will find them," Gil continued and the woman tilted her head at him like she was trying to read him. She seemed intrigued and…surprised?

"What about you? A pretty woman like yourself isn't here by herself right? Don't you have a boyfriend or a husband around waiting for you?" Gil asked, deciding to probe into her this time. The woman actually blushed ever so slightly before she cleared her throat.

"Nothing quite as fancy as that. I am not here alone and like yourself I was seeing to some things and am taking a break now," she answered simply and Gil looked into her golden eyes and he didn't see deceit in them. Her words were rather evasive though. Her eyes turned away from his suddenly and she crossed her arms again with a huff.

"Stop staring creep!" she snapped after a few moments and Gil laughed a little before he turned his gaze away.

"You seemed to like it though," he countered playfully and the woman just scoffed at him.

"In your dreams!" she threw back and Gil rolled his eyes. He glanced back at Rex and the others and he saw that they were finishing up. Rex was clutching something close to his chest while Pyra and Tora were both clutching armfuls of other things that he pulled up.

"Well that's my queue to go rejoin my companions," Gil said as he placed a pouch of gold on the table with a business card under it. He stood up and waved to the woman who seemed rather intrigued by him again but he paid it no mind. He placed another business card on the table in front of her.

"If you ever feel like finding some work that involves creativity or helping people then check this address on the card and tell them Gilgamesh recommended you and give them this card as well it's a special voucher from me. They'll know what it means," he said simply before he started walking off.

"What business do you run?" she asked.

"Lets just say I'm a fan of helping creators make their dreams a reality. There are other things too but you'll find out if you go to that address!" Gil said energetically as he left the woman behind. After a few moments he realized that he forgot to ask her for her name since he was more interested in the conversation. He cursed slightly and he turned around but saw that the woman was gone already but he did notice that she took the card he left her. He smiled slightly and turned around to head back to Tora's home.

"I'll be seeing her again…" Gil thought as he went on his way. Still though…he couldn't shake the strange feeling she gave him. He wasn't quite sure what it was but it felt familiar? He had never met her before though, he couldn't even recall a woman with blonde hair and golden eyes at all actually, even in the few memories of his early childhood that he still had. He shook it all off though after a few minutes.

"No time for this, I have to worry about our current endeavor first…"

* * *

 **Rex's POV**

"The guy only had the Connectors, I had to dive into the cloud sea for an hour just to find that stupid Sensor!" Rex exclaimed to Gil, who just seemed amused. They were currently sitting at Tora's dining table, minus the Nopon himself since he was busy tending to his Blade.

"I figured that when I saw you at that pier for over said hour," Gil said and Rex grumbled.

"Almost every chest I hauled up had a Krabble or a jellyfish attached to it!" Rex sighed as he rubbed his head. Normally he was lucky to even see sea creatures but for some reason most of his hauls this time had the blasted things attached like barnacles.

"By the way where was the old man? I didn't notice him at the pier that much," Gil questioned and Rex chuckled slightly. He looked over at the little Titan who was perched on the chimney, he seemed a little steamed and with good reason.

"Well you see, I needed to put him somewhere since I needed my helmet. Except he had fallen asleep, so I kind of put him in my back pouch," Rex said and Gil seemed utterly unconvinced before he looked over at Pyra who nodded solemnly.

"Wouldn't that be…uncomfortable?" Gil asked with a sigh and Rex chuckled nervously.

"Well yes…Pyra thought about that too…" Rex said slowly. He glanced at Pyra but she was calmly sipping a cup of tea she made.

"Right…so when did you find out he didn't like it?" Gil asked as he looked over at Azurda.

"Um…when I got the sensor and was running back to sell the rest of the salvage off to the merchants…" Rex said truthfully but slowly. He glanced at Azurda and the Titan still seemed put off.

"So…I'm assuming that stuff covering his fur is…vomit?" Gil asked and Rex nodded slowly. It was true; Azurda's fur was matted with the stuff, which was why he was sitting up at the chimney instead of sitting down with them.

"And he hasn't gotten a bath yet why?" Gil asked. Actually…that was a really good question.

"Finally someone asks the question!" Azurda exclaimed as he fluttered down from his perch. Pyra placed her tea down and stood up.

"I'll get something to hold hot water in," she said, apparently she had been waiting for the word too.

"R-Right…heh…sorry Gramps…" Rex offered and the Titan glared at him before his eyes softened a bit.

"Just…don't do it again Rex…" Azurda sighed as Pyra brought over a large bucket full of steaming water.

"Here you go, Azurda. Just be careful, it might be too hot-" Azurda jumped into the bucket with waiting for her to finish. Rex and Pyra jumped away to avoid getting hit by any of the water while Gil just laughed since he was out of range.

"Ah…this is much better than that pond we stayed at…" Azurda sighed as he came up to rest on the edge of the bucket.

"Well that water was murky…and cold," Pyra said. Before Rex could interject, Tora suddenly jumped out from his little workshop area.

"Tora finished! Artificial Blade is ready!" the little guy exclaimed. They all broke out of their conversation when they heard that.

"About time! Night's already fallen!" Azurda exclaimed as he jumped out of his bucket and shook himself dry, his fur clean.

"This better be worth the price," Gil said as they moved over to see the Blade. She didn't look any different really, so Rex assumed that the parts they needed were internal.

"Great so she's ready for sure?" Rex asked. He wanted to hurry this up so they could go rescue Nia and Dromarch, they were already taking longer than he liked.

"Of course Poppi is ready! Storm brewing overhead is perfect timing too!" Tora said excitedly as he typed away at his panel.

"Right so what is she supposed to do when she's awake? Is she going to act like a normal Blade?" Pyra asked and Tora nodded.

"Poppi is designed to work exactly like normal Blade! You will see!" Tora said as he grabbed the lever on his panel and tugged it down. The entire room began to flip between lit and dark as the lights flickered from the power being drawn to the new Blade. Rex blinked as he watched the power flow into the Blade before there was a loud crack of thunder followed by a large surge of energy going right into said Blade, creating a bright flash that blinded him.

"Ah!" Rex covered his eyes and after the flash ended he opened his eyes. The lights stopped flickering and stayed alight in a stable way.

"Poppi?" Tora asked as he peeked over his console. The Blade began to twitch slightly before she opened her orange eyes. Then in a flash she struck a rather extravagant pose with a peace sign with an admittedly cute smile.

"What can Poppi do for you, Master!" she exclaimed giddily with a voice Rex expected from her looks but the tone was a bit…peppy.

"What?!" Gil exclaimed, followed by surprised gasps from Pyra and Azurda.

"W-Wait!" Tora flipped the switch back and Poppi powered down and he quickly typed away at his console again.

"Hehe…sorry, Tora must have forgot to change settings from original…" Tora said sheepishly and Rex blinked before he looked at Pyra and Gil to see equally stupefied expressions on their faces.

"It was like something out of those weird things Illya and Kuro read…and impersonate…" Gil said slowly and Rex nodded silently. Pyra looked at them confused and Rex shook his head.

"Please don't ask," Rex did not want to explain that part of his past at all. It was embarrassing enough just thinking about it.

"Right here we go!" Tora exclaimed as he threw the switch again and Poppi came to life again but in a calmer matter. She blinked slowly before she took in everything around her. Then her eyes settled on Tora.

"Greetings Masterpon. Poppi is online and ready for service," she stated, it was the same voice that Rex heard before but far calmer.

"It worked…" Pyra said in awe.

"Yes! May I present to you, the world's first Artificial Blade, Poppi!" Tora presented as he hopped around and did an extravagant pose as he presented his new partner.

"Now that is something worth investing into…" Gil said in interest.

"It's incredible!" Rex exclaimed.

"This is unprecedented!" Azurda was awed as well.

"Impressed yes? Tora big success! Tora promised you success!" the little Nopon said excitedly.

"You go that right, Tora! You delivered what you promised even if she was a little…well weird before," Rex congratulated.

"Oh! Don't worry about that! Tora not do that! That was Grampypon's fault! He made the original settings!" Tora said quickly. Then Pyra crossed her arms and leaned down a little to be closer to Tora's level.

"Are you sure about that, Tora?" she asked with a knowing look on her face. Gil chuckled slightly before he tapped Rex and nodded towards the side of the room. Rex followed the direction and his eyes bulged when he saw a closet full of clothes, more specifically dresses that would go on a girl around Poppi's size. What…was Tora planning originally?

"Um…Meh! Meh!" Tora squirmed and sweat bullets basically. Then Pyra let out a sigh before she leaned back with her usual smile on her face.

"Well its probably best not to dwell on that. Gilgamesh did you succeed on figuring out where Nia and Dromarch are?" she asked politely. Rex nearly forgot about that. He was so caught up in the mess to get Poppi up and going.

"Yeah, what did you find Gil?" Rex asked and his blonde friend frowned.

"Well I found out where they are. They're on that big ship that docked earlier today. Except there's a bit of a complication," Gil said as he pulled out an envelope from his coat and handed it to Pyra. She took the contents out and started reading over it.

"Brighid's Driver is the owner of that ship and she has some kind of bodyguard with her that I haven't heard of before," Gil explained as he turned back to Rex. The salvager twitched a little bit at the memory of the purple haired Blade. She was strong, stronger than he had expected, she was able to beat back both Nia and himself rather easily and she was able to hold her own against Gil. If her Driver was going to be with her, it was going to be bad. Plus whoever that bodyguard Gil mentioned was probably going to be another problem given their luck so far.

"Unfortunately the bad news doesn't end there. Whatever we're going to do we're going to have to go now. Nia and Dromarch are scheduled for execution tomorrow…" Gil continued slowly and Rex's eyes widened.

"W-What?!" Rex felt his heart stop at the news. They were going to kill Nia? Had she done something so terrible?

"A-Are you sure? Are you sure that you didn't mishear something?" Rex asked and Gil nodded.

"He's telling the truth Rex, it says so here. Their execution is scheduled for tomorrow morning," Pyra said grimly as she looked up from what she was reading.

"Friends not have much time then!" Tora exclaimed up as he picked up a sort of mechanized shield from under one of his tables.

"He's right, we got to move fast if we want to break them out," Pyra agreed and Rex felt his fire ignite.

"You're right, we got to make a move on now!" Rex agreed full heartedly, he wouldn't leave Nia to die he refused to.

"That's nice and everything but how do you plan on doing that? Not by storming the front I hope. As you are now you wouldn't last long against that entire ship's crew coming down on our heads," Gil interjected. Rex paused at that and scratched his head since that was the first thought that came to mind.

"Tora have idea! Empire Ship is docked in spot where we can sneak on from below!" Tora announced. Rex blinked as he turned towards the Nopon.

"Really?" he asked and Tora nodded.

"Yes! You see Titan have a lot of trees growing on it. One of the roots has grown out and one of them is below the ship!" Tora went over to one of his drawers and pulled out a scroll of paper and opened it up to show them a layout of the town.

"See here!" Tora pointed towards the pier and Rex saw that there was indeed a root growing out of the Titan right under the pier.

"You're sure its under the ship?" Rex asked and Tora nodded.

"Yes! Yes! Tora sure!" the little Nopon exclaimed.

"Couldn't hurt to check even if he's wrong. It's not like we'll be caught if something goes wrong. We need to take this path Rex," Gil supported and Rex nodded.

"Are you and Poppi ready for this, Tora?" Rex asked, he knew that Tora said he would help but he wanted to ask still. The little Nopon held up his shield in response.

"Are you ready, Poppi?" he asked. The new Blade stepped down from her pedestal and unplugged herself before she raised both her hands up and brought them down quickly.

"Poppi is combat ready!"

* * *

 **Phew that's a wrap, sorry about the sudden stop in updates. Things were hectic for a while. Family visiting and needing to write two term papers in a single day can do that.**

 **This chapter was actually finished a little while ago but I wanted to read it over to see if I could catch anything and well I did. Next chapter might take a little bit since I'm busy with something.**


	7. Prison Break

I own nothing

 **Well here's the next chapter, man this took forever to finish.**

 **So just so I know, did you guys like my little reference at the end of the last chapter or no? I think I got mixed reactions but I wasn't sure.**

* * *

Chapter 7: Prison Break

 **Rex's POV**

"Alright is everyone ready? We probably won't be able to go back to the house afterwards, in fact we're probably going to have to leave Torigoth after this…" Rex asked tentatively as the party walked along the edge of the Titan along the roots that Tora mentioned. They were getting very close to the ship now; hopefully the darkness of the night would conceal them.

"Tora have everything he and Poppi need!" Tora said excitedly as he patted the large pack he was carrying, large for him anyway.

"I always have everything I need," Gil responded, Rex wanted to ask why he was still dressed normally, aside from his Enki he was still wearing the clothes he wore when he was finding them information.

"We're good to go Rex, we had everything when we checked the first time," Pyra said and Rex blushed a little in embarrassment. Then Gil nudged him and pointed ahead towards the end of the roots they were walking on.

"Looks like Tora was right, the root does lead out right under the ship," he said. Rex let out a breath in relief, as indeed, what Tora said was true. The root didn't just lead out off of the Titan; it was under the ship, right under an open hatch to boot!

"Right, now we just have to get up there," Azurda pointed out. That was true, it was a bit higher than they could jump. Well ma-

"I could probably make that," Gil said and before anyone could say anything he sprinted towards the edge of the root and when he reached the edge he leapt from the edge and he didn't just reach the hatch, he actually went high enough for him to land on his feet in the hatch. Then he turned back towards them and gave them a small wave.

"It's clear up here, come on!" he announced.

"Show off…" Rex sighed and then he saw the flabbergasted look on Tora but surprisingly Pyra didn't have a similar reaction, she was just smiling. Then Poppi didn't have any reaction at all aside from blinking.

"Right well, I'll go first and carry you up Pyra. Tora, Poppi, I'll get you next," Rex said as he aimed his grappling hook up and shot it. It hit the upper end of the hatch and Rex smiled at his success. He hit the reel and it easily pulled him up towards the hatch. When he reached the hatch he stopped and swung onto the ledge and pulled his grapple hook back.

"Nice of you to join me," Gil said simply and Rex rolled his eyes as he looked back towards the others.

"Ok, Pyra you ready to go?" Rex asked and his Blade nodded though she seemed…scared?

"Here you go!" Rex fired his grapple hook down towards her. And stopped it before it lodged itself in the ground.

"Climb on and I'll pull you up!" Rex promised and Pyra cautiously approached the hook. She slowly reached out and grabbed it before she put her weight on it.

"Ok here go-oh!" Rex tried to pull her up but he couldn't quite pull her up and his hook's gyro was struggling to pull her up, which was saying something since it could support Rex's weight!

"Pyra! You're so…heavy!" Rex exclaimed as he struggled to pull his Blade up.

"W-W-WHAT!?" Pyra shrieked and then suddenly she let go and Rex fell onto the ground with a small thud.

"Ow! Why did you let go?!" Rex groaned as he got up slowly and rubbed his back where he fell. Then suddenly Gil chopped him over the head.

"OW! What was that for?!" Rex groaned as he held his head and glared up at his friend who was giving him a deadpanned glare.

"Because you said something unbelievably stupid…" Gil stated matter of fact like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Rex didn't get it until Azurda floated in front of his face from his helmet.

"Rex, you should know you never tell a woman that she's heavy!" Azurda chided and Rex paled a little. Of course…how could he forget! He made that mistake enough times back home with Illya!

"Rex-Rex not have much tact!" Tora shouted and Rex quickly scrambled over to the edge again.

"I didn't mean it Pyra! I was just surprised, I mean um…" Rex couldn't think of a better way to explain it.

"I'm sorry!" Pyra wasn't even looking at him, she was covering her face in embarrassment.

"No! No! It's not your fault! I just um…" once again Rex couldn't think of an appropriate response to that!

"Its ok Pyra, you're just very well grown to impressive height!" Tora appeased though Pyra still didn't lower her hands.

"Poppi have solution!" the Artificial Blade announced as her ankles lit up even more than usual. Suddenly smoke started emitting from her feet and then she shot up off the ground, the smoke had come from the rockets in her feet!

"Whoa!" Rex jumped back when Poppi landed on the hatch.

"Poppi can carry Pyra up!" Poppi announced cheerfully as she grabbed hold of the wire.

"Oh boy…" Gil sighed.

"Um sure if you think you can, go ahead!" Rex agreed, trying to get the subject off of Pyra's weight.

"Pyra, grab on again!" Rex shouted down and his Blade slowly grabbed onto the hook again. Then immediately Poppi started pulling her up like it was nothing.

"Whoa! Poppi, nice going!" Rex cheered. The new Blade smiled at him cheerfully.

"Poppi can carry a truck if need be!" she said and Rex thought he heard Pyra say something but when he looked down he saw that she was hiding her face again as she was pulled up. When she was all the way up she didn't grab the ledge and Rex frowned.

"Hey Pyra, come on. You're here," Rex said gently as he offered his hand out to her. Pyra slowly raised her head towards him and she reached out to grab his hand.

"Ok…" she said meekly as she stepped onto the hatch but then her other foot caught onto something.

"Oh!" Pyra's red eyes widened as she fell and Rex tried to catch her as she fell but since he was so caught off guard he wasn't prepared for her sudden weight. He hugged her close and brought her to a stop and then he slowly helped her so she could stand on her own.

"You ok, Pyra?" Rex asked as he stepped back from her when she was standing on her own. Her hands seemed slow to let go of him but when they did they snapped back and she clasped them together in the usual way she did it when she was nervous. Her cheeks were fully red as well.

"Yes! Thank you Rex!" she said quickly and Rex wanted to talk to her more about that but he needed to pull Tora up first.

"Right, Tora you're next!" Rex said as he went over but Poppi held up her hand.

"Poppi can get Masterpon," she said simply as she jumped back down onto the root. Then she picked up a rather squirmy Tora before she lifted off with her boosters again and landed back on the hatch with them.

"Here you go, Masterpon," Poppi said as she placed to Nopon onto the floor.

"Poppi give, Tora warning next time!" Tora exclaimed though Rex thought that he was enjoying it. He was probably overjoyed that his dream had come true.

"Hey, Pyra you ok?" Rex asked next as he turned back to his Blade. Her cheeks had returned to their normal color but she still seemed a little out of it.

"Yes Rex, I was just surprised that's all. Thank you for catching me," she said gratefully, while giving him her usual warm smile. Rex smiled as well, he was happy that she wasn't mad or embarrassed about him making that crack about her weight. He hoped that maybe she forgot about it but he had a feeling she didn't.

"Now that we're all here and the pleasantries are over we need to move on and be careful," Gil cut in suddenly. Rex turned to his friend and nodded.

"What would you recommend in this situation?" he asked. Rex might have forced this venture but he wouldn't be so bold as to decide what course they should take inside an enemy ship.

Rex knew that he didn't always think things through enough. He could point out what to be done but getting there was a little more difficult. So he would rely on Gil for that, he was always good at that. Back home he would always be the one that took charge when they were doing something big. That hadn't changed a whole lot even now. Thinking on it now, Rex was surprised Gil hadn't stepped in sooner actually. Well actually he kind of did looking back on it. He did help make sure Poppi came online and that they wouldn't be found in the process.

"What we're going to do is be careful first of all. This is a military vessel, so you can expect plenty of guards all over the place. The fact that there's no one here must mean that this isn't a real corridor; this might just be a large vent. If not then we're just lucky that they assumed no one would actually come through here," Gil explained and Rex nodded. The young Driver looked over at his Blade and noticed that she seemed pleased for some reason. He wanted to ask her what was going on but he decided not to since this probably wasn't the best place for that.

"We'll need to find the cell block first of all. Mor Ardain would probably keep Drivers and Blades in separate areas so that they couldn't break out so easily. We just need to figure out which one is closer," Gil said.

"How are we going to do that?" Rex asked.

"Pyra and I can sense Blades so hopefully that'll tip us off to where Dromarch is, assuming there aren't many other Blades on board. We should be able to tell if we get close though since we've sensed him before," Gil said and Rex nodded. He still didn't understand why Gil was able to do that but the guy didn't exactly know why himself either.

"Poppi can sense Blades as well!" Poppi interjected and Rex turned to her in confusion.

"Wait what? How can Poppi sense Blades?" Tora asked and Rex turned his confusion onto him. Didn't he create her?

"Unclear Masterpon. Poppi can feel it almost like a wave in the air. On the way here, Poppi felt several strange wavelengths through the ether and when Poppi compared it to Pyra's, Poppi assumed that she can sense Blades," Poppi explained and that answered a question but created a few more too.

"Tora you didn't know she could do that?" Pyra asked and the Nopon shook his head.

"Tora not know how. Tora try his best to make her like real Blade though," he explained.

"I think you succeeded then, Blades can sense each other, though we can also hide our power from each other too," Pyra praised and the little Nopon smiled.

"Yes, Tora is definitely a genius but we need to get moving. If she can sense them, then it should be easier to find Dromarch and Nia," Gil said curtly, moving them back on track.

"Right, so where are we on the ship, do you know?" Rex asked and Gil shook his head.

"Unfortunately I don't. I haven't exactly been on Ardanian warships and this is the ship belonging to the Special Inquisitor herself. If I had to guess I would say that the cells were at the lower end of the ship. Fortunately we've entered the lower levels of the ship first. We should probably try to track someone down and make them tell us where the cells are," Gil explained and Rex nodded, though he was uncomfortable with that last part. Except he knew they needed to do it if they wanted to find Nia.

The ship was massive, Rex could tell that from the outside. It would be challenging to search the whole thing, hopefully Gil was right. There wasn't much else for them to do unfortunately. Searching through the whole thing could make it easier for them to get caught after all.

"If we're not careful then they might just kill Nia, especially if they figure that we're here to save her," Pyra mentioned and Rex's heart clenched up a bit at the thought. He promised that he would save her; he couldn't let her down like that.

"We also need to worry about the-" Gil stopped suddenly and tensed and Rex was about to ask what was wrong until he heard someone talking along with footsteps.

"Quick!" Gil grabbed Rex's arm and dragged him to the side of the hall and Rex nearly tripped and caught himself on the wall, behind the support pillars. He noticed Pyra and the others had followed their example rather readily. Rex looked past Gil and glanced down the hall to see shadows of two figures walking.

"Man why are we checking this. It's just an exhaust port basically, no one even knows this thing is here," Rex managed to make out.

"It's your fault for mouthing off to the captain again. I just want to know why I got dragged along for this," someone else complained. Rex leaned back into cover when Gil touched his shoulder gently.

"Alright, two guards. I'll take one, who wants the other one?" the blonde asked. Rex wasn't going to answer so he looked back at one of the others.

"I'll do it," Pyra said and Rex gave her a look but she just gave him a smile as she stepped past him and nodded to Gil.

"We just need one. I'll knock mine out, you keep a hold on yours and make sure he doesn't shout," Gil said and Pyra nodded.

"The rest of you stay a bit behind us," Gil ordered and Rex nodded but he was probably going to follow along a little bit.

"Alright, lets go," Gil said as he and Pyra crept along the side of the hall towards the guards. Rex waited until they were a good deal away before he followed them and Tora and Poppi did as well. He stopped when Gil and Pyra froze and he immediately ducked behind one of the pillars again with Tora and Poppi but they all stuck their heads out slightly so they could see.

Gil and Pyra were poised for the strike and Rex noticed the guards were getting louder and he saw the shadows getting larger, signaling they were getting closer.

"Well we best check this last part so we ca-" whatever the first guard was going to say was caught off as Gil grabbed him by his arm and shoulder and slammed his the man's face into his knee with an audible crack and crunch that made Rex wince. That one went down without another word.

At the same time Pyra literally kicked the other guard's gun out of his hand and before he could react, she grabbed his arm and slammed him into the wall with a small thud to stun him before she locked his arm and covered his mouth so he couldn't move or shout.

"Come on guys, it's done," Gil called and Rex blinked when he realized that all happened in the span of one to three seconds. He didn't expect that at all, especially from Pyra. Then again he recalled how good she was when they were fighting Malos…Rex shook himself out of his awe though and approached.

"Ok then. Listen up, Mongrel you have an opportunity to make things easier on yourself and your crew, understand?" Gil asked as he leaned onto the wall, besides their new captive. The guard looked at him and didn't respond and Gil frowned.

"I said do you understand? They teach you how to listen in the academy don't they?" Gil asked harshly this time. The guard nodded quickly to that and Gil nodded.

"Good…now then, my friend is going to let your mouth go. You're going to tell us anything we want to know and if you even think about calling for help…" Gil reached over and pulled out the soldier's radio and held it up towards him. Then he crushed the device in his hand with ease until it was a ball of circuits and metal. The guard's eyes must have widened behind his mask because he nodded quickly. Rex hoped that Gil wasn't serious about that threat.

"Good…ok then Pyra, let his mouth go," Gil said and Pyra nodded before she stopped suppressing the guard's ability to speak but she kept him pinned.

"W-W-What do you want to k-know?" the guard asked fearfully.

"Where's the Cellblock and which cells are the Torna Prisoners in?" Gil asked swiftly and the man must have balked under his helmet.

"Well?" Gil asked as he tapped his foot impatiently as his hand moved towards the sword he had on his waist, making the guard tense. Rex glanced at Tora and Poppi to see they were actually engrossed in the scene a bit more than Rex would have thought, especially Tora.

"T-The Special Inquisitor moved the Torna Driver to a private Cell in the back of the Cellblock! Her Blade is still being kept in the Cellblock, room A12! The Cellblock is close! You just need to keep following the path we came from and you'll come across it in five minutes top! Most of the guards are asleep right now! You'll literally leave this hall right at the cellblock's doorstep!" the guard stammered quickly.

"How do we know you're telling the truth?" Pyra asked rather lowly, something Rex had never heard before. It was…interesting to hear, in a good way actually.

"I have a keycard for the area in my right pocket! Please, I'm just a technician, not a real soldier! I work at the Cellblock sometimes to make sure the systems are working! I know they're there!" the poor guard stammered. Gil shrugged and reached into the man's pocket as he said and pulled out a small keycard. The blonde looked it over and nodded.

"It looks like it checks out. Thank you, now then Pyra if you would…" right when the blonde finished, Pyra pulled the guards head back and slammed it into the wall. Rex winced from the sound as the guard crumbled onto the floor, out cold like his companion.

"Wasn't that a bit much?" Rex asked finally and Gil just chuckled while Pyra at least looked embarrassed.

"Sorry…well we needed him to talk…" Pyra said as she tapped her index fingers together again nervously. Rex freaked out since he didn't want to make her feel bad again so soon.

"um…I mean! Uh…Its fine, I mean you guys were cool! Especially you, Pyra I mean you moved in a blur, I could barely see it happen and you were so elegant too!" Rex had no idea why he said that last part but for some reason he was compelled to. Pyra seemed to react badly to that too since her face went scarlet.

"Heh…a bit early for courting don't you think?" Gil asked smugly and Rex blanched at him like he just insulted Corinne.

"What?! NO!" Rex shouted.

"Oh…" Pyra mumbled and Rex noted that she sounded rather depressed for some reason.

"Heh…well we better get moving, the sooner we get out of here the sooner we can get out of here and laugh about it," Gil intervened as he moved and Rex sighed in relief and followed after his blonde friend while the others fell in step behind them. Thankfully the hall was not filled at all, those two guards were probably just unlucky to be stuck patrolling it like the guard said. It made sense; no one would go through the way they went normally even if they were trying to sneak in. Most people couldn't jump heights like Gil and Poppi and grapple hooks weren't exactly common items on thieves.

"Tora think that Pyra and Gilgamesh were cool!" Tora piped up as he walked along the front with Rex and Gil. The blonde chuckled a little while Rex scratched the back of his head.

"You got that right Tora, especially Pyra," he said, hoping that would appease Pyra a little bit.

"Heh…" Azurda let out a small snicker behind him but Rex didn't have time to ask him what was wrong since he flew out of his helmet and sat himself on Gil's shoulder.

"By the way Gilgamesh. I might have been…indisposed for most of it but while we were looking in the cloud sea I thought I spotted you talking with a woman, a rather pretty one if I say so myself…" he asked and Gil remained silent. Rex wasn't exactly surprised. He saw it too; it wasn't like the blonde was trying to hide from them. Gil did have a way of attracting women to him though why was he so quiet about it? Usually he would have just said she was some kind of gold digger or a thin-skinned coward pretending to be confident. Actually now that Rex thought about it the fact that Gil actually allowed her to stay and talk with him should have been a tip off that something was a bit different. Of course he was busy with his salvaging so he didn't pay much attention to it.

"I thought you couldn't see anything until he let you out?" Gil asked and Azurda scratched his head.

"Well…yes but I did spot you since I flew up rather high to um…excrete my bile somewhere else…" Azurda said embarrassed and Rex held in a laugh.

"Heh figures. Yes I was talking to a rather pretty woman," Gil explained evenly.

"Oh! Gilgamesh have pretty lady friend?" Tora asked excitedly.

"I actually saw her too. Did you find her attractive or something?" Pyra asked as she moved up towards the front with them, though she did stray a little close to Rex. The young Driver just shrugged it off though.

"I did actually. I don't see how that matters though. I didn't even get her name since I was busy chasing after you. You guys are not as subtle as you think," Gil said, a little agitated.

"Ah! I see. Oh well better luck nex-"

"I gave her my card before I left though. After all I recently bought a small place here for my business and she seemed to have what it takes so I gave it to her. I think we'll be seeing her again soon," Gil mentioned and Rex's eyes widened. Wait…he gave her his card? As in business card?! He almost never does that!

"Ah I see! So you've set your sights on her then!" Azurda said quickly. Rex…wasn't exactly thinking that but now the idea was there. Gil scoffed and flicked the small Titan in the head, making him nearly fall off his shoulder.

"Don't go making conclusions again Old Man, I met her once so far. You can play your games with Rex but not me, got it…" Gil said seriously and the Titan nodded before he got off his shoulder and went back to Rex's helmet.

"So, what was she like if you don't mind me asking?" Pyra asked suddenly and Gil glanced at her and Rex did as well. Why was she so curious? Was she interested in what Gil liked or something? Rex didn't like that idea but he didn't know why.

"Well I only talked with her for a bit but I could tell that she was very confident. Not the fake kind of confidence that you see a lot of people put on though, real confidence," Gil said.

"Ah so you do like her then," Azurda said again and Gil gave him a glare that shut him up, which Rex found funny. Azurda could usually get away with that stuff but since he wasn't as big as he was before he had to be careful.

"Anyway…yes, confidence. She didn't buckle when I countered her arguments and she actually had the gall to just sit down without me saying she could," Gil said with noticeable intrigue in his voice. Rex noticed that he seemed legitimately interested in this girl, whoever she was. Perhaps Gramps wasn't just trying to bust his chops.

"Anything else?" Pyra asked again and Gil seemed to think about it for a moment. He opened his mouth but then he paused.

"She…wait we're here," he said suddenly switching subjects and Rex looked ahead to see the end of the tunnel right ahead. It was an open hatch, probably left open by those guards they interrogated. Rex could see a walkway past the hatch that came from inside the ship and extended out a bit before leading back into the ship.

"Remember what that guard said, we should be coming out close to the cellblock," Gil said quickly and Rex's heart fluttered a little. They were close to breaking them out. He hoped that Nia would be happy to see hi-them!

"Quickly now. The guard said that most of the crew is asleep but there must be some that are awake," Azurda mentioned.

"Yeah and if we trigger the alarm then the rest of the crew will be awake fast," Pyra continued.

"Exactly there's also the idea that they might just kill Nia if we get discovered before we get to her…" Gil said and Rex felt his heart clench at that thought. He wouldn't be able to forgive himself if she died that way.

"Rex…" the salvager jumped slightly when he felt Gil touch his shoulder. His friend's red eyes were staring at him with slightly concern. Pyra and the others were staring at him as well.

"Sorry, what is it?" Rex asked.

"I was asking if you were ready to go…" the blonde said calmly and Rex hardened his heart at that.

"Yes, more than ready!" he said fiercely and Gil narrowed his eyes slightly before he shrugged.

"Alright then. Everyone lets go and be careful," Gil commanded and everyone nodded.

Rex went on ahead to the hatch and he peaked out to see that there was no one standing on the walkway. He waited for a few moments and he didn't see anyone walk out so he waved the rest of the group to go ahead and they all dropped down onto the walkway as silently as they could.

"The guard said to keep going so I assume we should keep going straight," Gil said softly and they moved along the walkway and entered the ship. The walls were all pure metal and they had to take extra care to try and muffle their footsteps so that they wouldn't alert anyone who might be nearby. They kept to the sides of the halls just in case but thankfully no one came running as they moved along.

"Cellblock…cellblock…" Rex thought as he looked at the directories on the ceiling whenever they passed a new path. None of them said cellblock and after the fifth one he was starting to get a little panicked but thankfully the sixth one said cellblock and he let out a sigh of relief. They all stopped and Gil peaked around the corner before he moved back quickly.

"Ok the path looks clear and I can see the cells from here," Gil said and Rex was about to move along but Gil grabbed his shoulder.

"What?" Rex asked, annoyed and Gil gave him a glare.

"You said it was clear so lets go!" Rex pressed as he shrugged him off and went on before he could stop him again. The cellblock had a gate in front of it with metal bars on the sides. Rex walked right up to it and turned around to throw his hands up.

"See nothing bad happened," Rex said and Gil sighed before he and the others walked up to the gate where he was.

"I suppose this is where we need to put that keycard in," Gil muttered as he pulled said keycard out and put it into the slot on the gate with the red light. After a few moments the light turned green and the door unlocked.

"Right, so we need to find Dromarch first and then Nia," Rex said as they entered the area. The place was pretty desolate even though it was supposed to be a cellblock. All the cells were rooms with no bars. There were only small slots where they could look through so that would probably slow them down a bit.

"Yes, the guard said that Dromarch was in the main area. Thankfully he also gave us the number of his cell," Pyra said and Rex blushed a little since he totally forgot about that last part.

"Poppi do you sense a Blade nearby?" Tora asked and Poppi stopped for a few moments before she nodded.

"Poppi senses one single Blade nearby," she said as she shook her arms a little like she always did when she spoke. Gil and Pyra both stopped and concentrated for a moment and Rex felt a little left out again.

"Hm…yes that's Dromarch but…that's strange I don't sense any other Blades," Pyra said and Gil remained silent but he nodded.

"Isn't that a good thing?" Rex asked.

"Rex-Rex, this is a big ship and it's supposed to be big important person's ship," Tora pointed out.

"The Special Inquisitor should at least have a full team of Drivers and Blades stationed on her flagship. It's also alarming that I can't sense Brighid anywhere either, a Blade as powerful as her should be able to make out even if she's in the town instead of the ship," Gil mentioned and Pyra nodded in agreement.

"So you guys think this is some kind of trap?" Rex asked and Gil nodded.

"That would be the likely scenario," Gil said and Rex frowned.

"Well we can't turn back," he said and surprisingly Gil nodded.

"If it is a trap then we are already right where they want us. If we try to leave now then they'll spring it on us, if we go for Nia and Dromarch they'll spring it on us. Either way we've walked right into it. We might as well do what we came to do and try to deal with whatever they have planned for us," Gil explained and Rex couldn't fault that logic. At the same time though Rex had a feeling that he said that because he didn't want to let Nia die either but he wouldn't say that to him.

"Right then so first of all we should find Dromarch, we have his cell number right?" Rex asked as he looked at the numbers on the cells.

"Yes, A12," Pyra answered and right on queue Rex found the cell number. Now that Rex knew it was probably a trap it seemed odd that his cell was positioned so close to the entrance. A way to lure them into a calm probably from how easy it was.

"He's definitely behind the door, he's basically right in front of us," Pyra said as she placed her hand on the door.

"Poppi concurs, Blade from earlier is in this cell!" Poppi proclaimed. Gil went up to the door and pushed the keycard into the slot on the door but the red light didn't change. Gil groaned in annoyance and tried again but the same thing happened.

"Figures…" the blonde sighed as he pocketed the card.

"Can we blow the door open?" Rex asked next and his friend shrugged.

"Might as well at this point. Poppi can you open this up?" Gil asked as he tapped the metal door with his hand. The Artificial Blade nodded her head but before she could do anything heat started building up near them.

"Wha-" Rex looked over to see Pyra charging up flames in her hands.

"Back away from the door!" she commanded. No one needed to be told twice, they all backed away from the door and Pyra herself. Her entire body began to light up as her power built up.

"Wow…" Rex thought as he watched her. Times like this he had to remember that Pyra was not just his new partner and friend, she was a super powerful Blade. It was easy to misplace that since she was so nice and humble all the time.

"Blaze!" Pyra let loose her flames and blasted the door. The door resisted her flames for a few moments but Rex could see the metal begin to melt quickly. Then after a bit the area being hit burst open as the flames rushed through the new hole she opened up. Thankfully Pyra stopped her barrage immediately after she broke through.

"Oops…um I hope I didn't overdo it…" Pyra said as she cautiously peaked into the hole she made. Rex chuckled a little nervously and he saw an amused look on Gil's face as they both peaked into the hole as well.

"Dromarch?" Rex asked and thankfully he did see the white tiger though he seemed to have been ducking at the moment. When he raised his head towards them he gawked.

"Rex, Pyra, Gilgamesh?!" the Blade exclaimed as he blinked at them.

"It's good to see that you're ok Dromarch!" Azurda exclaimed and then Poppi and Tora popped up in front of them.

"Very very good!" Tora proclaimed.

"Poppi's senses work!" Poppi exclaimed happily.

"Um, I'm sorry. Master Titan and…who are they?" Dromarch asked as he stood up.

"I am Tora and this is my Blade, Poppi!" Tora said proudly as he motioned to himself and then Poppi. Dromarch stepped out of his cell attentively and bowed to them both.

"Greetings new friends. I am Dromarch and I thank you and the others for saving me," he said respectfully and Rex had to wonder how someone so polite was paired up with someone as…prickly as Nia. Then again Nia wasn't really that bad if you got to know her, Rex could attest to that.

"Dromarch, quick! We need to find Nia. Can you lead us to her?" Rex asked quickly. He knew she was supposed to be in some kind of private cell but the guard didn't tell them where it was.

"Yes, she is my Driver. I can lead the way to her easily no matter how far away she is!" Dromarch said proudly and Rex made note of that. He would have to ask Pyra about that later.

"Then lets get going! Driver Friend awaits!" Tora said proudly and Rex couldn't help but smile at his enthusiasm.

"Of course, follow me. She is not very far!" Dromarch immediately ran off while Rex and the others ran after him. He led them further into the cellblock but along the way no one tried to stop them, there weren't even any alarms.

"We are close! I can feel her just around the corner!" Dromarch exclaimed after what felt like an eternity even though it was probably only around five minutes. They rounded a corner and Rex saw a singular door at the end of the hall and Rex noticed that there was a lack of guards still.

"She's in there!" Dromarch said as he ran up to the door. Rex followed him quickly and tried to the door and to his surprise it wasn't locked. He blinked in surprise as the door moved, he ignored the warning signals in his head and opened the door quickly.

"Nia!" Rex stepped into the room quickly to see his new friend sitting on the floor with her knees pulled up to her chest. She was staring up at him in surprise as if she couldn't believe he was actually there. Rex almost felt like a he was some kind of hero in a story but Nia was hardly a damsel in distress. She would probably blow up at him if he mentioned that.

"Rex…?" Nia said slowly as she stared up at him. She seemed to be shocked. Probably because she assumed that she was going to die. Rex didn't like that idea; he REALLY didn't like that idea. He didn't think anymore after that, he just acted.

"Hey…yeah it's me…" Rex said slowly as he knelt down in front of her. He held his hand out to her slowly and she reached out and grasped it just as fast. When he felt her hand enclose on his she seemed to flinch before she threw herself at him. She wrapped her arms around him and Rex nearly fell over from the suddenness of it but he managed to stay up and hug her back.

"You came…" she whispered and Rex smiled as he held her. He felt remarkably warm for some reason as he held her. Then someone cleared their throat behind him and he froze.

"…Rex there are other people here…" Gil said in a deadpanned tone. Rex felt Nia tense and then she pushed away from him nearly making him fall on his rear. Nonetheless he scrambled onto his feet and saw Gil leaning against the doorframe with a blank look on his face. Pyra was there too and she seemed a little…angry? Why was she angry?

"Ah! I mean, Gilgamesh, Rex its good to see you again! Thanks for the save!" Nia said quickly as she tried to regain her bearings. Rex turned back to her and saw that her cat ears were sticking up, basically screaming out that she was still alarmed. Thankfully Dromarch came to her aid.

"Milady…I apologize for the delay. I came as soon as I was able," he said as he walked in and bowed to her. Nia frowned and her ears flattened before she walked over and placed her hand on his head gently.

"Don't mention it…I didn't think anyone was coming actually…" she said somberly at first but a smile broke onto her face as she ended the sentence.

"Like we'd leave you. I promised I would come back and besides. "Always help those who help you". That's the second rule of Salvager's code," Rex said truthfully and Nia gave him a small smile in response.

"Well I suppose that's you all over. You're one of a kind you know," she said gratefully and Rex felt his heart flutter a little at the praise. It was odd hearing it from Nia but not the bad kind of odd.

"Rex-Rex! Tora and Poppi found ways out while you were with friend! Its all clear!" Tora exclaimed and Rex turned back to the door to see Tora and Poppi pop their heads out.

"A Nopon? And a robot?" Nia asked in surprise.

"We made a few new friends while we were planning to get you," Rex said as he scratched his head.

"I have no doubt that they are capable if Rex and Gilgamesh acquired their help, Milady," Dromarch said.

"My name is Tora and this is my Blade Poppi!" Tora introduced and Nia seemed taken aback but that but she seemed to take it in stride.

"Hello there. Name's Nia," she greeted.

"I believe we should talk later. I think we've overstayed out welcome," Azurda piped up and right on queue an alarm set off.

"Intruder Alert! Intruder Alert! Code Red! All Personnel Report to Cellbock! Blocking off all external hatches!" an automated voice announced.

"Lovely looks like we were right about this being a trap," Gil groaned.

"We need to move before we get swarmed!" Pyra exclaimed.

"Right, Nia can you fight?" Rex asked and she scoffed before she held her hand out and Dromarch placed her ring blades in her hand, which lit up with power.

"Does that answer your question?" she asked and Rex felt a little dumb.

"Right um, lets go!" Rex announced. He was about to run off before Gil stopped him.

"You heard the announcement. The hatches are all closed. We can't go back the way we came. If we did we would just corner ourselves," Gil said and Rex stopped.

"Where do we go then?" Rex asked.

"Only way we can. Through the ship," Tora interjected.

"He's right. We have to leave through the main docking ramp. I have a feeling that's where they want us to go anyway," Gil agreed.

"There's no doubt that it's a trap now. They're probably going to be waiting for us," Pyra added, worried.

"Tora and Poppi saw the way when we were looking for way out! We hoped we could use way we came in but now we have other option! The way was basically lit up!" Tora said and Rex smiled.

"Good work Tora, lead the way!" Rex praised and the Nopon gave off a little cheer before he and Poppi led them down the path they mentioned.

They ran through the halls of the ship to try and escape but after a few minutes of running, Rex began to worry. They had not encountered any guards on their way. Rex began to see why Tora said the path was basically lit up. They had encountered many locked doors but they seemed to be strategically placed while there were certain doors and paths that weren't blocked off. It quickly dawned on Rex that Gil and Pyra's worries were probably right when they said that the enemy wanted them to go to the main ramp.

"So I'm not the only one thinking we're going to walk into a huge ambush now right?" Rex asked as they ran through the halls.

"You would be a fool not to expect it at this point…" Gil said.

"I kind of got it was a trap the moment the alarm went off," Nia added.

"Tora think it's a trap," the little Nopon said simply.

"Poppi calculates that this is one hundred percent a trap!" Poppi declared.

"That idea seems logical at this point," Dromarch said respectfully.

"Whatever it is, we'll work through it together," Pyra said confidently and Rex noticed that she was remaining rather close to her.

"A bit good at noticing the obvious aren't you?" Azurda said and Rex had half a mind to shove him back into his helmet. He batted that aside though in favor of the news he was told.

"There! That must lead to the hanger and the main ramp leading into the city!" Dromarch announced and Rex looked ahead to see a pair of doors. Except these doors were much different from the ones Rex saw before. These ones were far larger and more reinforced. It also helped that the directory above the door said hanger…

"Great! We're alm-"

"Ugh!" suddenly Gil and all the Blades in their group except for Poppi stopped and held their heads as if they were assaulted by migraines.

"Danger!" Poppi exclaimed, flapping her arms even faster than usual.

"Guys?! What's wrong?" Rex wrapped an arm around Pyra and supported her as she leaned on him a bit readily.

"There's something strong nearby…" Pyra said slowly as she shook off her daze.

"Very strong…" Gil agreed slowly as he leaned on a wall for support.

"What do you mean?" Rex asked.

"It was only for a moment but there was something…unbelievably strong that projected itself over the ether…" Dromarch said, shaking his head as if he had fallen from a great height. Nia placed her hand on his head, worriedly.

"Is it Brighid?" Rex asked, turning to Pyra but she shook her head.

"No, it didn't feel like her energy and even then there was no way it was hers…" Pyra said slowly.

"What do you mean?" Rex asked.

"The power we sensed felt…brutal...uncontrollable and extremely volatile…" Pyra said slowly.

"Was it a Blade?" Rex asked.

"Yes at least I think it was…I haven't sensed anything quite like that before from a Blade though. Even our Pyra doesn't feel quite so…unstable," Gil said as he righted himself.

"Poppi, did you pick it up?" Tora asked and Poppi nodded though she seemed rather agitated, which was a little new for her.

"Poppi can confirm it was a Blade. However Poppi sensed extreme volatile and unstable nature from Blade like friends say! This is likely what caused friends to react in such a way!" Poppi explained though she seemed affected by it as well.

"She's not wrong. It…it almost feels like the Blade was in extreme pain…" Droamrch explained.

"Pain? You guys can sense that?" Rex asked but Pyra shook her head.

"No, we can't sense emotions but in some rare cases we can get a sort of "feel" for what's happening to a Blade through their energy. In this case it felt like it was in extreme pain or it was very VERY angry," Pyra explained.

"Yes, which is alarming. I have never sensed this before and its power was just so…unnatural..." Gil said slowly.

"Is it close?" Rex asked. This was getting very worrying, even Gil was shaken.

"I think so, it's power was projecting itself so much that it was hard to get a clear fix on it but it should have been close…" Pyra said as she came out of her issues as well and stood up on her own much to Rex's relief. He released her but she seemed a little discontent with his action for some reason.

"We don't exactly have much choice though…we have to face it," Dromarch said somberly and a grim mood set down on the group, even Tora's joyfulness and Gil's calm demeanor were a bit shaken.

"Then we move on. We have to get through this if we want to reach Elysium," Rex said firmly though he was scared. He felt someone grab his hand, he turned towards Pyra she gave him a warm smile.

"As my Driver I will follow you to the ends of the world no matter what battles you face in order to fulfill our dream. Remember that when we are together we can accomplish anything," Pyra said as she held his hand tightly and Rex blushed from the contact but he didn't back away from it. Though he suddenly felt like someone was glaring at him and he turned towards his friends and saw Nia had her arms crossed and her head turned away from him.

"Haha! Let's go before we have some infighting!" Gil intervened while Azurda and Tora seemed to chortle to some hidden joke.

"Um right well lets go!" Rex said quickly as he drew his sword and quickly moved towards the hanger doors, which opened for him but what met him was…nothing. Nothing but a empty room, a rather large room filled with supplies and fighters like he would expect from a hanger but…nothing else. No mass of guards or Drivers with their Blades, just an empty hanger…

"What…" Rex asked dumbfounded. The others all followed him in and were equally surprised by the lack of a trap being sprung.

"This is strange…if there was a time to spring a trap then it would have been here…" Dromarch said cautiously. Rex nodded and they all moved further into the hanger. Rex saw the doors leading to the next section of the hanger and what he hoped would be the last section before they reached outside. Except before Rex could get more than halfway to it, the doors opened and someone tackled Rex to the side.

"UGH!" Rex heard gunfire followed by a few cries of pain and some gurgling.

"Rex, get up!" Rex blinked as his eyes were uncovered and he realized that Pyra had tackled him and she had unknowingly covered him with er…something he couldn't admit without feeling guilty. He chose to just follow what she said and quickly got onto his feet and ignited his sword.

"Whoa!" just in time he brought his sword up to deflect a bayonet coming for his face and in a quick motion he slashed the Ardanian across the stomach, searing him and cutting him at the same time. Rex grimaced at the act of taking the life but he hardened his heart and kept going.

"You think you can take me!" a different guard boasted as he charged him. Rex grit his teeth and ducked under his strike before he knocked him in the head with the butt of his sword, staggering him. Then he followed it up with a quick slash across his chest, bringing him down.

"Don't forget me!" Rex sidestepped and narrowly dodged a guard who tried to stab him in the back and ended him with a quick slash to the back. Thankfully the blood wasn't going anywhere due to the nature of his sword. He turned to engage even more soldiers but the group he turned to face were all brought down by precise shots from javelins of ornate nature.

"Thanks Gil!" Rex praised before he turned to hack down another guard.

"Is this the trap you were expecting?!" Azurda shouted but Rex was far too busy to really pay him too much mind.

"Rex-Rex, duck!" the Aegis Driver didn't hesitate to crouch down as some kind of drill projectile went over him and impacted a guard coming up on him.

"Rex!" the Driver flinched, as a guard got close but an ether shield came up and deflected the attack, staggering him. Then Pyra came in with a flying sidekick to the soldier's face, knocking him flat onto his back.

"Aqua Wave!" Rex turned to see Nia and Dromarch blow a group of soldiers away with their arts.

"Poppi initiating combat protocols!" Rex blinked as he saw the Artificial Blade ignite her boosters and dive into a group of soldiers and knock them all aside. Meanwhile Tora was batting soldiers away with surprising deftness with his mech-shield that had a build in drill.

"Filthy Mongrels!" Rex flinched as he felt something speed past him and he turned to see Gil hack down soldiers in a storm of Blades while he used his Bab-ilu to shoot anyone who tried to fire on him or sneak up on him.

"Rex don't just stand there!" the blonde shouted at him and Rex flinched before Pyra blocked another attack from impacting him by putting up an ether shield once again.

"Thanks Pyra!" Rex flipped into the air and brought his sword down onto the ground, creating a fire wave, which engulfed several of the soldiers in front of him. Then he turned to face the next soldier but saw none. He turned to see if he could find anymore but none were coming.

"Huh…" Rex turned to all his friends and aside from breathing a little heavily they were unharmed. There were bodies littered around Gil and Nia specifically, more so than anyone else. Though there were bodies littered around the hanger in general. In fact now that Rex was apparently out of combat the overwhelming scent of blood hit his senses, nearly making him wretch.

"That seems to be the last of them…" Nia said as she wiped her forehead and shook her ring blades to get the access blood off of them.

"How many was that?" Rex asked as he looked towards the door he was originally moving towards. The doors were closed again and several bodies were lying around it.

"A few dozen…nowhere near the amount of soldiers that should be stationed on a ship like this…" Gil said as he wiped his blades off but he still kept them ready. Rex turned to Pyra who seemed a little saddened by the sight of the bodies but she shaped up when her eyes connected with his.

"Do you sense that thing from earlier?" Rex asked as he wiped the sweat from his forehead. Pyra closed her eyes and concentrated for a few moments before she opened her eyes and shook her head.

"No I don't," she answered. Well that was reassuring hopefully. Maybe it was further away than they originally thought? Either way they needed to move quickly while things were calm.

"Rex-Rex, we should go now!" Tora spoke Rex's thoughts as he and Poppi moved towards the doors. Rex and the others were about to follow after them but suddenly Pyra, Gil and Dromarch tensed while Poppi plucked her Driver up from the ground and literally sprung back as the doors to the next section were literally knocked off their hinges.

"Whoa!" Rex rolled to the side to avoid getting hit by the metal doors and when he looked up his eyes widened. Standing at the now opened doorway was the biggest Blade Rex had ever seen. It was easily as tall as the doorframe, which had to be at least ten feet tall. It was basically a giant bulky armored knight, wielding a giant hammer. Except something seemed off about it, the Blade seemed like it was holding something in.

"Not so fast you little miscreants!" a rather snide voice spoke. Rex blinked and looked towards the Blade's feet to see a rather plump man. He was dressed up in a brown and tanned colored suit. Actually calling it a suit was probably modest, it was more like a nobleman's outfit really considering the amount of gold he had on as well. His jacket was unbuttoned showing off his red vest which had a badge of some office Rex didn't recognize pinned right on it. He even wore this puffed out hat that had the Empire's symbol right on the front of it. The man was middle aged though his face was twisted into a sneer that just screamed how little he cared about the people in front of him if his tone wasn't already a dead give away.

"Lovely…" Nia sighed.

"Consul Dughall…" Dromarch said with noticeable distaste.

"Ah so the little terrorist and her pet can remember some things. You didn't seem so keen on that during your questioning. I'll have to make sure I put that in my report when I ship you off," the Consul sneered. Rex was confused though, what did he mean by "ship off"? Nia was supposed to be executed in the morning.

"I should give you some credit though. You did manage to completely defeat the advance guard that I stationed here," Dughall said as he looked around the hanger as if there was mud everywhere instead of bodies. Rex felt his dislike for the man raise even higher.

"I suppose I should have known better than to think that these idiots could stop a Terrorist from Torna and her group of friends," the man shrugged uncaringly and Rex felt his anger rise at the total disregard for the lives that were lost. Then the Consul's eyes lit up before Rex could retort.

"Ah yes and there it is…the emerald core crystal…that must be the Aegis!" Dughall exclaimed. Rex's eyes narrowed, he didn't need to be able to read people to know what he wanted after that.

"As much as it pains me to admit it, Morag seemed to be right on the money," Dughall laughed at the end of his statement.

"So you know who Pyra is. Are you going to try and take her too?" Rex asked as he raised his sword towards him. The Blade standing behind Dughall growled lowly in response but Rex ignored it.

"Why of course! The most powerful Blade in history! Said to have the power to burn all of Alrest asunder! Who wouldn't attempt to take such a prize? Only a fool wouldn't seek such power and I am no fool! Therefore I will take her as my own!" Dughall boasted and Rex shook his head in disgust.

"There is a flaw in final step of logic. You assume we will just let you take her," Poppi said simply but Rex agreed with her.

"Sorry pal but you're done. Get out of our way or we'll kick your sorry ass to the side," Nia said lowly as she moved up to Rex's side.

"Ineed. A lowly mongrel such as yourself shouldn't try to grab things outside his reach," Gil supported as he walked up to Rex's other side.

"Such insolence from such filthy rabble! Dolmes, crush them!" Dughall commanded.

"RAAAA!" the giant Blade let loose a loud roar that shook Rex to his bones. The ether lines on the Blade changed from blue to red and a purple mist started exuding from it, changing the Blade's armor from gold to a blackish color. The Blade's eyes turned blood red as well as if it had been hiding its nature from them the whole time.

"RAHHH!" the Blade raised its giant weapon and charged at them with speed Rex didn't expect from something so large!

"Move!"

* * *

 **Gil's POV**

Gil grunted as he threw himself out of the Blade's path and rolled onto his feet. The others had thankfully moved out of the way as well even Rex and Tora had gotten out of the way on their own.

As for the Blade that tried to run them over, it went right into the wall behind them, creating a large dent but it didn't seem perturbed at all. It simply pulled itself out of the wall and charged again, this time towards Nia and Dromarch. Thinking that it was just going to charge, they both moved to the side but surprisingly the Blade stopped and swung at them.

"Whoa!" thankfully Nia managed to dodge out of the attack barely but the Blade pulled it's weapon back faster than something that big had any right to and swung again.

"Milady!" Dromarch put up an ether shield to block the attack however the Blade packed enough power to send Nia reeling back even if the shield didn't break.

"Nia!" a fire ball hit the Blade it the back but aside from staggering slightly the blast had little effect. The Blade turned its red eyes on Rex right away before it charged.

"I don't think so!" Gil opened his gate and fired a weapon right at the Blade's knee joint. The javelin went into the join and lodged itself in but instead of falling over the Blade simply stopped. It looked down at the weapon in its leg and then it pulled it out, creating a fleshy and metal sound that even Gil winced at. The Blade dropped the bloodied weapon on the ground and charged after Gil instead now.

"What the heck is wrong this Blade, it's almost like it didn't even feel it…" Gil thought as he leapt away from the Blade as it brought its hammer down where he was standing, creating a large dent in steel.

"Go Poppi!" Tora cried out as a missile hit the behemoth of a Blade in the back, staggering it. Then Poppi flew up and upper cut it.

"UR…" Dolmes fell onto its back with a loud thunk however it quickly started moving to get back up.

Gil growled in annoyance and fired off a barrage of weapons from his gate to try and pin the thing down. Most of his weapons bounced off of its armor but the weapons that hit its joints definitely had an effect if the blood that leaked from the wounds were any indication. Still though the thing just refused to stay down! It kept moving!

"Rex! Do something quick!" Gil shouted as he kept up his barrage.

"You got it! Pyra lets go!" Rex raised his sword in the air and Pyra stepped up to grab the sword as well.

"Burning Sword!" they both shouted as the Aegis sword lit up. Then they brought the strike down right on Dolmes, creating an explosion that completely engulfed it.

"Did we get it?" Rex asked and Gil even stopped his barrage but unlike his friend, he could sense the Blade.

"No…" Gil thought as the smoke cleared and his eyes widened when he saw that Rex had literally blown parts of the Blade's armor clean off around the torso, revealing charred and slashed flesh. Yet the thing was still moving!

"What the bloody hell is wrong with that thing! Even a Blade needs time to regenerate from that!" Nia exclaimed.

"Poppi senses Blade's energy is spiking!" Poppi announced as even more mist started exuding from the Blade. Then suddenly it clicked in Gil's head. He knew exactly what was wrong with the Blade…

"Damn Mongrel!" Gil turned his sights towards Dughall instead, who had been watching contently the whole time so far. The consul's eyes widened in fear as Gil turned his gate on him and without a second thought he unleashed his treasury on him.

"Dolmes! Protect your master!" Dolmes shrieked and as if the thing could teleport it just appeared right in front of it's Driver and absorbed the hits. Due to its chest armor missing a lot of Gil's weapons literally sunk right into it and stayed there but the Blade still didn't fall!

"What the hell! How can it still move that fast with the beating we gave it!?" Rex shouted, unbelieveably. Gil scoffed in disgust at the display though.

"It's because that Blade has a Berserker chip installed…that's why the Blade is still standing!" Gil exclaimed. Rex was predictably confused and showed little understanding by his expression. Tora and Poppi didn't seem to understand exactly either but Nia and Dromarch were a different story. Their shocked expressions easily told Gil that they knew exactly what he was talking about. Pyra was the worse though, she looked utterly terrified…though not in the surprised way, it was more akin to the terror of realizing that one was right about something they hoped they were wrong about.

"You bastard! How dare you! Those things are illegal all across Alrest! Why would someone like you have that!" Nia accused, angrily and Dughall just laughed.

"HA! Didn't I just tell you that only fools wouldn't seek out power when it's available? Why wouldn't I use it when it would make my Blade nearly invincible!" Dughall boasted and Gil felt only disgust for the man.

"Blades are beings too you bastard! They feel pain and emotions just like us! You can't just use them like that!" Nia hissed.

"Why of course I can! Blades are merely tools! After all, if Dolmes here is hurt then he will just regenerate whereas if I die then my Blade would return to a useless core!" Dughall exclaimed boastfully from behind his Blade. That comment resonated with Rex and the others.

"Blades aren't tools! They're our partners and friends! If that's how you view Blades then there's no way I can let you have Pyra!" Rex announced and Gil noticed Pyra blush.

"Rex-Rex right! Blades are valuable partners to Drivers!" Tora boasted as he raised his shield and loaded another drill missile into it.

"Ha! Well if you're so confident then why don't you try it!" Dughall boasted and Gil narrowed his eyes and immediately charged in.

"Pitiful! You might have some interesting abilities but magic tricks like that won't stop my Blade!" Gil ignored him and kept charging in. Dolmes raised its hammer but despite its speed there was no way it could catch Gil.

Gil stepped to the side at the last minute as the hammer came down and impacted the ground. Then Gil slammed his swords and his weight down onto the hammer and held it down. Dolmes tried to pull its weapon back but Gil managed to hold it down for a few moments before he suddenly pulled back and Dolmes lifted its hammer up right into its own face, unprepared for the sudden change. The attack staggered it immensely and opened it up for attack.

"Now!" Rex shouted and Gil leapt back and prepared as Rex and Pyra charged in.

"Rolling Smash!" Rex summersaulted in the air and unleashed a fireball, which impacted the Blade directly in the face while Pyra launched her own fireball into the Blade's side causing it to stagger back further.

"Tora go!" Rex shouted as he leapt to the side to avoid Dolmes's wild retaliation swing.

"Mecha Biter!" Tora shouted threw his shield to Poppi, who flew in close to the Berserker Dolmes. She held the shield out and a large Biter sprung out like a boxing glove on a spring and impacted the large Blade directly, nearly making it fall over.

"Nia up!" Tora shouted as Poppi came back and threw the shield back to him.

"Lets go Dromarch! Dark Maelstrom!" Nia rode past Tora and Rex on Dromarch and when they reached Dolmes; Dromarch released an aqua roar while Nia threw her ring blades out like boomerangs. When they came back, Nia jumped off Dromarch and snatched up one while her Blade grabbed the other one. Then they finished their combo with two cross slashes. This finally forced the giant Blade to tip over, leaving Dughall vulnerable.

"Go Gil!" Nia shouted she leapt out of the way with Dromarch. Gil's eyes locked on Dughall, who was now shaking in his boots.

"You're done!" Gil shouted as he unleashed his gate once again and this time his storm of weapons hit. Multiple weapons impaled the greedy man, sending him onto his back. Blood pooled under him rather quickly due to the multitude of attacks he suffered.

"Gah…bested by a bunch of…kids…my triumphant return to Mor Ardain…ruined…" Dughall gasped before he took his last breath for good. Gil sighed and made his weapons return to his gate. It was disgraceful that he had to use them on a Mongrel like that but he needed to. The consul's Blade glowed for a moment before it disappeared, leaving only its core behind, which fell to the ground harmlessly.

"That guy was a creep…but his Blade was strong…" Rex panted as he picked up the core.

"Hey how come this thing is dark?" Rex asked as he shook the core.

"The core is dormant right now. It needs time to recharge before a new Driver can use it," Nia explained as she walked over and elbowed the rookie Driver.

"Nice moves by the way. You're good for an amateur. Of course you had me backing you up," Nia said smugly as she placed herself relatively close to him. Gil rolled his eyes since all Rex did was back away a bit and look at her weirdly as he pocketed the new core.

"Did Tora and Poppi do good too!? It was our first time fighting!" Tora asked excitedly as he practically bounced up to Nia hopefully.

"Heh, yes you did well too little guy. Your partner did well too all things considered," Nia praised. Gil chuckled a little since it was akin to a child pining for approval from a parent or sibling.

"As much as I would like to celebrate, perhaps we should escape first? I doubt that Dughall is the only one after us," Gil suggested before everyone pat themselves on the back too much.

"Right, it wouldn't look good if we tried to save Nia only to get caught and put on the execution block with her," Rex said as he turned to the doors but Gil paused as he remembered something important that the late Consul said.

"Wait, what do you mean Rex? I…I was going to be taken back to Mor Ardain…I wasn't going to be executed…" Nia said slowly and everyone else paused with that revelation.

"What…but Gil said that…" Rex didn't finish the sentence as he looked towards Gil who just came to a conclusion.

"My contact told me that the information came straight from the top…I…oh shit…" Gil cursed as he failed to realize that the top didn't mean the Consul, it meant the Special Inquisitor.

"Gil?" Pyra asked.

"Rex-Rex! Pyra! No time, we need to go now!" Tora exclaimed, he probably pieced together that things were worse than they originally thought as well.

"He's right, we need to go quick!" Nia pressed and then she grabbed Rex's hand and ran with him.

"Whoa! Ok!" Rex stammered as he was tugged along. Gil caught Pyra wince and he sighed as he followed after his oblivious friend.

"If we don't die, I am really going to have to make sure that he starts noticing what he's doing," the blonde thought as they ran through the rest of the hanger. They made their way unimpeded through the rest of the ship and thankfully the ramp was still open so they were able to cross right back into the city. Of course they had literally walked right into a military checkpoint/port at the same time.

"No guards again…" Gil noted as they ran outside. The sun had come up while they were in the ship so they were standing in broad daylight for all to see. The fact that no one started shooting at them was very alarming indeed. The many buildings and guard towers were just empty.

"Poppi sees exit!" Gil looked where the Artificial Blade pointed and saw that the main entrance to the port was unblocked, another nice coincidence.

"Come on!" Rex shouted as he charged towards the exit and Gil sighed as he followed after him with the rest of the group. Just before they reached the exit though, Gil sensed power flow through the ether and in the next instant blue flames rose to block their exit.

"Not those flames again!" Nia cursed and Gil agreed with her for once. The power he sensed was even greater than last time though. That could only mean that his worries were just proven true. He saw two figures just past the flames. Except before he could make a move, he sensed another power spike but from behind!

"Move!" Pyra shouted and Gil quickly leapt to the side while everyone else rolled, jumped or was pulled away. A large red blast struck the area they were standing on, creating a crater in the paved stone.

"Ha! I'm surprised you all didn't die right away!" a rather upbeat voice cut in. Gil turned to see an armored figure approaching them.

The person was short in height, probably around Rex's height. The power that the person was practically oozing screamed that she was anything but weak though. The person was wearing thick plate armor but it was unlike any armor from Mor Ardain that Gil had seen before. The design was medieval but advanced in the way that it was crafted. The armor was a silver color with red highlights and trim. The helmet covered the wearer's full head and face. It had two horns protruding from both sides of the head, giving it a partial demonic look. This person was basically like a knight from the old stories. For weaponry the Knight was holding a rather nice looking two-handed sword. The handle was a dark red while the guard was silver and red just like the armor. The blade itself was a white-silver color while the area of the Blade near the guard had intriqite red designs. There was writing on the blade itself but Gil could not tell what it said. This was probably that so called "Saber of Red" Gil read about.

"Who's that?" Rex asked.

"No idea, I've never seen anyone like that before…hey where's her Blade?" Nia asked.

"Ha! I need no Blade while I have my fabled Clarent!" the Knight boasted as she placed her sword on the ground and put her two hands on top of the hilt. Gil felt uneasy as he watched this "Knight". He felt an odd tug in the back of his head and he felt really angry as he looked at this Knight for some reason.

"No Blade? Like Gilgamesh?" Azurda asked.

"And that's not all…look…" Dromarch brought their attention back to their front. The two figures Gil had seen past the blue flames had literally walked through the fire like it wasn't even there and were now standing in front of the fire wall. One of them was Brighid of course and the other one was no doubt her Driver…

"Lady Morag the Flamebringer…" Dromarch said slowly. Gil narrowed his eyes as he stared at the Special Inquisitor.

Morag was a tall woman, standing a little bit above Brighid in height but still shorter than Gil by a bit. She was beautiful there was no doubt there but her face was set in a cold, calculating expression. Her brown eyes scanned over the whole group but they lingered on Pyra, Rex and Gil much more than the rest. Her black hair was set so that her bangs were out of her face's way with a single strand hanging between her eyes while the rest of her hair was probably tied up behind her head. She wore a royal blue outfit that consisted of a long coat with split flaps that hung down behind her with pants that bore the same color as the top. The detailing was red and her coat had a white center to it along with the pauldron like cloth that hung around her shoulders. She wore bronze armor over her hips, feet and shoulders. She wore a hat the same color as he outfit and she had the symbol or Mor Ardain attached to the front of it. She was holding Brighid's rapiers in both hands with such familiarity that Gil felt a little nervous.

"Morag…isn't she supposed to be a very powerful Driver?" Rex asked.

"That's putting it mildly…" Gil sighed.

"Morag is the strongest Driver in the Empire and she wields Brighid the strongest Blade," Dromarch explained.

"So…they're ultra powerful together!" Rex exclaimed and Gil didn't know if he should be happy or annoyed.

"Then…who's the other one?" Rex asked next as he turned back to the knight behind them.

"Ha! Tell you what! Out of respect for dodging one of my attacks I'll grace you with my name!" the knight boasted and then the helmet literally split apart and folded down onto her chestplate. Aside from revealing that the armor was actually advanced, the Knight also revealed their face, her face to be exact. She looked a lot younger than Gil thought. She looked like a teenager, a few years younger than him to be exact. She had blonde hair done up in a single ponytail while the rest of it seemed to just frame her face without aid. Unlike Morag her hair was rather rough and unkempt, which made it even weirder since her hair seemed to be staying in place somehow. Even the bit of hair she had tied behind her head looked roughened up. She was beautiful though not in the same way that Morag was. She had bright green eyes that were also full of life and she had a permanent smirk on her face.

"My name is Morded! Saber of Red!" she announced and Gil got a small headache in response.

" _I am Mordred! The one and only heir of Aurthur Pendragon!"_

"Ugh…not now!" Gil shook his head to banish the weird voices before he got another vision of some sort. This was not the time for that!

"So I ask of you…will you give me a challenge?" Mordred asked arrogantly.

* * *

 **I decided to end it there since the chapter was already pretty long. I mean holy crap I broke 12,000 words. I really didn't think this was going to take that long.  
**

 **So finally more characters show up. Did you think Gilgamesh was the only one I was pulling over?**

 **Also just to catch this before it becomes a problem, or to stop it before it gets too big I want to address something. Gilgamesh is obviously acting different from how he usually is I know that. That's on purpose and I have my reasons. He still has bits of his original personality in him of course so its not like I completely changed him. I would say think of it like if Kid Gil didn't change so drastically.**


	8. The Flamebringer

I own nothing

 **I am so sorry this took so long to make. College and life turned into nightmares so suddenly.**

Chapter 8: The Flamebringer

* * *

 **Both POVs**

"Hm…she doesn't look too tough," Nia scoffed.

"Which one?" Rex asked. All of their opponents looked pretty intimidating to him. Nia gave him a side glare and he wilted a little before she sighed.

"It appears that they were waiting for us…" Pyra said slowly.

"Yes, it seems that the trap was even larger than we imagined…" Gil sighed in annoyance at his carelessness. He heard the stories about the Flamebringer and yet he was still arrogant enough to assume that her strategic mind didn't match her reputation.

"Hm…I don't know why I thought that Dughall's petty plans could slow you down…" Morag spoke. Her voice was a complete one eighty from Mordred's. It was monotone with no hint of emotion.

"After all…you possess the Aegis…" Morag continued. Rex moved in front of Pyra protectively even if the action was a little irrelevant.

"You spread the fake rumor that I was going to be executed, didn't you?" Nia asked and Morag seemed slightly amused at this.

"You catch on quickly. Yes and you played your part effectively at drawing your friends out," Morag said as she and Brighid stepped a tad closer to the group. Rex readied to draw his sword while Gil moved to his side.

"Tora, Poppi watch Mordred," Gil commanded and the pair did as he said.

"No need to worry, she's merely here as an observer. I doubt I will require her assistance…" Morag said.

"Huh?! Oh come on! You're going to hog all the fun for yourself! I want to fight the Aegis too!" Mordred whined in a rather…cute way. Rex sweat dropped a little at the knight's attitude while Gil just scoffed.

"Last time I checked, the Emperor paid your "king" quite handsomely for your service and I was assured that you would follow my commands to the letter…" Morag said simply but Rex and Gil sensed the barely contained fire behind the calm tone. Apparently she wasn't too fond of her.

"Arrogant, I didn't think the Legendary Flamebringer would be so arrogant as to think she could take us all on at once. I thought Mor Ardain taught their people that arrogance was the greatest enemy," Gil chastised quite smugly and Morag made a small sound that sounded akin to a short laugh.

"It has been some time since someone had the nerve to talk back to me in such a way…" Morag said simply. Then she turned her head towards her Blade.

"That is the one you mentioned correct?" she asked and Brighid nodded silently.

"Hm…well there will be time for that later. The Aegis is the bigger concern now…" Morag said as her gaze shifted from Gil to Rex and Pyra.

"You're after us, just like that other creep?" Rex asked and Morag scoffed.

"Don't insult me boy. Dughall was a fool and a pig. Even if he did succeed against you, I would have stopped him cold before he could escape. No…there is another reason I have for seeking the Aegis…" she said simply.

"And what's that?" Nia asked. Morag paused for a moment before her gaze zeroed in on Pyra.

"It's quite simple. The Aegis is a danger to the world…" Morag said simply.

"What are you talking about?" Rex asked. That was crazy talk…right?

"The power to tear Alrest asunder…I cannot allow that to happen again. The tragedies of the past must not be repeated here…" Morag said with conviction as she pointed one of her blades right at Pyra, who placed her hand over her chest to cover her core. Her gaze dropped as well.

"So the stories were true…" Gil thought as he watched Pyra's reaction.

"Don't be absurd! Pyra would never destroy the world!" Rex threw back. Pyra was good; she would never destroy the world. He refused to believe that!

"You mean you don't know? Surely you've heard the stories. Five hundred years ago during the Aegis War. There were many continents lost during that time. The Aegis sank three of those continents to the bottom of the Cloud Sea," Morag explained and Pyra's eyes fell further as her hand clutched her own core tightly.

"Ugh," Gil felt a tug on the back of his head but he shook it off stubbornly as he kept his eyes on the Flamebringer. He turned to glance at Mordred but she was lazily leaning on her sword, not really interested in the conversation. Gil didn't trust her but he trusted Tora and Poppi to keep their eyes on her.

"That can't be…" Rex thought.

"I speak naught but historical fact. The Aegis sank the three titans just as the Great Tyrant sank his own continent along with another…" Morag said simply and Rex felt like something was just dropped on his head.

"But…" Rex looked towards Pyra and saw how guilty and…angry she looked. She wouldn't even meet his eyes. Rex didn't see a terrible weapon, he saw a girl who was afraid. He hardened his heart and turned back towards Morag.

"I'm onto you! You want to use Pyra as some kind of weapon don't you! We're not going to let you do that!" Rex accused and Morag's eyes narrowed.

"That is precisely the scenario I mean to prevent…" she responded and Gil spoke up this time.

"So you're what? Going to use her as a deterrent to keep Uraya and the other kingdoms in line? Perhaps you'll use her as a way to throw Indol's shackles off, is that it?" Gil asked. It was far too convenient, relations between Mor Ardain and Uraya were strained; there was no way that she didn't plan on using Pyra as some kind of super weapon.

"Yeah, you're going to use her as some kind of blackmail against the other nations aren't you!" Rex accused as he moved closer to Pyra and took her free hand. She seemed surprised but he gave her a bright smile and she returned it after a few moments. Rex felt his heartbeat pick up on that but he pushed it down to focus on Morag and Brighid.

"I do not intend to use her that way. I merely wish to keep her out of the wrong hands…" Morag said simply but Rex didn't buy it.

"And what if we resist?" he asked as his hand reached for his sword. Gil's hands went to his swords in response and he noted that everyone else was ready to draw their weapons as well.

"Then I will have to restrain you by force!" Morag's weapons clicked a few times and they separated into segments! Cords inside the blades that were alight with Brighid's flames connected all the segments. The swords had just turned into whips!

"Then I'll just say this once…YOU…WILL…NEVER…TAKE HER!" Rex shouted as he drew his sword and ignited it. Nia and Tora drew their weapons as well in response as their Blades prepared to battle as well. Gil stepped up to Rex's side and drew his twin swords out and adopted his own stance.

"Hah then let us see if you have the strength to match your words boy! Mordred! Stay put until I say!" Morag commanded as she snapped her whips and struck towards the group.

"Whoa!" Rex barely dodged to the side while Gil got out of the way smoothly.

"Take this!" Tora boasted as he launched a missile from his shield as he dodged but Morag easily batted it to the side before it exploded.

"Pyra you ready?" Rex asked as he looked towards his partner. She gave him a confident smile.

"You got it Rex, lets show her what we've got!" she said as she started up their ether connection once again. Rex felt like she was feeding her confidence to him, not just her power.

"Hiah!" Gil moved in front of Rex and deflected Morag's whips from striking him. His red eyes locked onto Morag's brown ones; she was watching him like she was trying to analyze him.

"Thanks Gil!" Rex praised before he moved beside him and launched a fireball at Morag. The Flamebringer just scoffed and sent her own out to counter his attack. Rex smirked though since he hoped she would do that.

"Nia, Dromarch!" Rex shouted as the fireballs clashed, creating smoke. Nia and Dromarch jumped in, using the smoke as a sort of cover for their attack.

"Aqua Wave!" Dromarch shouted as he launched a water wave towards Morag but it was easily blocked by an ether shield curtsey of Brighid.

"Foolish boy! Do you think such simple tactics will work!" Morag chided. Rex narrowed his eyes at her. He had hoped that Dromarch's water nature would be effective but apparently not. They were going to have to try a more direct approach.

"Then how about this!" Rex shouted as he charged in against her. Gil wanted to tell him not to but he cursed and followed after him only to be cut off by Brighid who created a smaller firewall between him and Rex.

"Damn it!" Gil cursed as he backed away from the flames.

"Tora!" Rex called out as he charged in. Tora fired off another one of his missiles at Morag but she batted it aside again. Rex didn't want her to take the hit though, he just wanted her distracted so that he could close the distance!

"Rolling smash!" Rex flipped and brought his sword down only for his sword to be stopped quite easily by one of Morag's. She had retracted her whips back into swords and stopped his attack all in the span of his attack!

"Come on boy!" Morag chided as she forced him off her and slashed at him, forcing him to back off to avoid getting sliced.

"Rex!" Nia shouted as she jumped into the melee as well. Morag easily dodged her strikes though and countered her strikes, forcing her to back off as well. Except she didn't quite escape her and suffered a slash to her side.

"Ah!" Nia cried out as she fell back though Dromarch caught her. Rex felt his anger spike at the sight of his friend getting hurt.

"NIA!" Rex roared as he charged back in against Morag. Her brown eyes regarded him with a tad bit more caution as he moved against her. He slashed towards her side but she batted it aside and brought her other sword to bear but Rex brought his sword back and blocked her.

"Did I anger you when I struck your friend boy?" Morag asked and Rex just tried to force her back but Morag didn't budge at all.

"Noponic Storm!" Rex turned to see Poppi holding Tora's shield as she pumped the ether through it, creating a type of ether storm aimed at the Flamebringer. Morag's shield took the attack though it did push her footing a bit. Enough for Rex to push forward and force her back a step.

"Here comes Tora!" Tora exclaimed, Rex smiled when he saw Tora charge straight for Morag. Rex made sure that Morag had to keep her attention on him or else. He saw Nia get back up and charge in as well from Morag's other side despite her injury. They had her!

"Damn it!" Gil cursed when he saw Morag's lips curve into a slight smile. He looked at the flames in front of him and moved closer but as if the flames were alive, they grew larger and hotter in response, forcing him to back away again.

"This won't stop me!" he leapt over the flames and he groaned in annoyance when his coat caught on fire but nonetheless he got past the flames. He put out the flames quickly and groaned in annoyance when he saw the burn marks on the arms and rushed over to help Rex before it was too late.

"It isn't so simple boy!" Morag shouted and Rex was confused. Then Rex's eyes widened when he saw flames build up around her. Then Morag pushed Rex off during his gawking and he barely had time to dodge her slashes. He managed to dodge the brunt of it but one of her Blades managed to catch his side.

"Ah!" the cut hurt but the burn that followed was even worse!

"Burn…" Morag released her flames in a small blast after her attack that spread out from all around her, perfectly deflecting all the incoming attacks. Rex, Tora and Nia were all literally blown away from Morag. Gil watched Poppi catch Tora while Dromarch leapt to snatch Nia out of the sky before they crashed on the ground, while Rex was blown back into Pyra and unfortunately knocked her over as well.

"Ah!" Rex cried out as he hit the ground. His back hurt a little from the impact but his side felt like it was burning even though the Blade was only there for a moment!

"NGN!" Pyra cried out and Rex worked through the pain to turn towards Pyra who was lying next to him.

"Pyra?" Rex asked worriedly. She was clutching her side painfully but before Rex could get to her, he heard rapid footsteps approaching. He turned to see Morag sprinting right for them.

"This ends now!" she shouted as she leapt and had her swords poised for the strike. Rex forced himself onto his knee and got in front of Pyra protectively. He brought his sword to bear in order to intercept.

"Bring it!" he shouted. Morag came in fast and Rex readied himself best he could.

"Stay away from him!" Gil growled as he leapt at Morag. She turned towards him in slight surprise as Gil slashed at her. Morag winced slightly but she easily maneuvered herself to block him in the air. Enki clashed against Brighid's rapier-whips with a loud clang. Gil didn't break her guard like he thought he would and their lock didn't break even when they both landed on the ground.

"You should stay out of this! A man with no Blade has no place in this battle!" Brighid grit as she tried to push against Gil but he wouldn't budge. She was strong, stronger than he expected but nowhere near enough to overpower him!

"If you want him you'll have to go through me first!" Gil shouted back as he tried to push her back but surprisingly she didn't simply fold. He was overpowering her but it was slow just like with Brighid.

"Very well!" Morag wrenched their blade lock to the side and pulled one sword back to impale him but Gil easily twisted out of the way and brought one of his swords down towards her arm but she blocked it with her other sword.

Their eyes locked for a moment, both glaring at the other. Then in a sudden movement Morag flipped her other sword into a reverse grip and spun to try and slash him. Gil's eyes widened at the move and he quickly moved back to dodge the strike.

"That was…" Gil pushed those thoughts away as he went to stab her but she deflected his strike and he grit his teeth as he brought both his swords down on her. Her eyes widened for a brief moment before she stopped his swords with her own. Then she pushed him off and did the same attack back, which forced Gil to block instead of dodge. He grit his teeth as he stooped her, her attacks were strong! Unlike many of his previous opponents her strength didn't get outright overwhelmed. Plus her moves…they were so…similar…

"Enough of this!" Gil thought as he pushed her off and set upon her with a quick flurry of attacks that she still managed to dodge, parry or block. Then she did the same to him and he was forced to dodge parry and block her. Her strength was formidable for a human but it was nowhere near enough to make Gil falter!

"What the…" Rex blinked as he watched the fight going on in front of him.

"Uh…Rex?" Rex turned towards Pyra who was starting to raise herself up. He wrapped his arm around her and helped her onto her knee.

"Ah! Easy…" she panted.

"Sorry…" Rex frowned, he didn't want to hurt her after all.

"No, it's fine. It was just sudden…" Pyra took a few deep breaths before she smiled at him. Rex glanced down to her side and saw a nasty looking cut but it was also cauterized. He didn't see Morag hit her, but then again he barely saw her hit him.

"Those two are going at it…" Pyra said suddenly. Rex blinked and blushed when he realized he was still staring at the cut…and the area around it. He coughed and did his best to hide his embarrassment as he turned back towards the fight.

"Yeah…" Gil and Morag were moving so fast that it seemed like they were blurs almost. Rex was surprised he could tell what they were doing. But that wasn't the alarming thing. After all, Rex saw Gil and Jin fight. The alarming thing was that their movements…

"Their moves seem similar…" Azurda pointed out and Rex nodded. Their movements weren't completely the same of course. Their weapons of choice kind of demanded it. Morag was favoring stabs and quick deflections a bit more while Gil was favoring slashes and parries. The resemblance was easily noticeable though.

"Rex!" Nia shouted and Rex was pulled away from the fight as he saw Nia, Tora and the others rushing up to him.

"Are you ok, Rex-Rex!" Tora asked quickly and Rex nodded.

"Yeah, mm…just a scratch!" Rex said as he stood up rather shakily.

"Rex you're hurt!" Nia chastised as she tried to make him go back down but he shrugged her hands off.

"So are you but you're moving around just fine. Come on, we got to get in there," Rex pressed but this time Pyra held him back.

"Wait Rex, she's right. We can't just go charging in," Pyra said. She seemed to be dealing with her injury just fine but Rex had a feeling she was just hiding the pain since his wound was still aching.

"We can't just sit here. What if that other one gets involved also?" Rex asked and they all glanced towards Mordred. She was still leaning on her sword lazily but she seemed to be interested in the fight at least. She seemed to be following Morag's orders at least. She didn't seem like the type to keep following them if it came down to it though.

"Rex you're barely standing. Let me at least heal you first!" Nia pressed. She held his arm and she was practically begging him at this point with the look she was giving him. Rex faltered under her eyes.

"Ok…but just enough for me to be able to move!" Rex said and Nia nodded before she began her work on his wound.

"Poppi and Tora must stand guard while Nia tend to wounds!" Tora commanded as he and his Blade set themselves up so that they could at least intercept either foe. Rex smiled since they were really proving their bravery even when faced against such odds.

Rex's eyes turned back to the fight between Gil and Morag. They seemed equally matched but Rex knew that Gil could get overconfident. The alarming thing was that Morag seemed to be matching his strength somehow or at the very least she wasn't buckling under his strength like most opponents would. Rex supposed he should have expected that. When he clashed with her, the power behind her was staggering. With odds like that, one mistake could be all Morag needed and unlike her, Gil didn't have a Blade to save him. He needed to use his powers but Rex didn't need to be a genius to know that if Gil showed them here then everyone would know!

"Masterpon! Incoming!" Rex felt Pyra take his sword from him and he turned to see what was going on only to see dust. He had to cover his eyes to prevent any of it from getting in his eyes.

"You're a lot faster than your Driver!" Rex blinked and realized that was Mordred's voice! When the dust cleared he saw that Pyra had jumped in to block Mordred and she had pushed Tora down as well. It…it all happened in the few seconds it took for Rex to turn around!

"Ugh…" Rex saw that Pyra was struggling a little to hold Mordred back; it must be her injury! Rex tried to move but Nia's grip on him kept him still as she worked her healing arts on him.

"Hm…perhaps you don't have the strength though…" Mordred seemed disappointed. She frowned like a little kid who was disappointed with a gift.

"Masterpon!" Poppi exclaimed as she leapt over them all to come down on Mordred.

"Hm…" Mordred backed off easily as Poppi punched the ground that she was standing on, cracking it.

"Interesting, a hunk of bolts acting as a Blade!" Mordred exclaimed as she brought her sword to rest on her shoulder, lazily. Poppi pulled her fist out of the stone and pumped her two hands together with an audible clang.

"Poppi is world's first Artificial Blade, capable of fighting any other Blade!" Poppi announced proudly.

"Nia please tell me you're almost done…I think I can move now," Rex said quickly, they all needed to fight this person if they wanted to win!

"Tch! I would have preferred to heal it fully but I guess this will do…" Nia grumbled as she ceased her healing and released him from her hold. Rex winced a little as he moved but it was nothing that would hinder him too much.

"Phew…thanks Nia," Rex gave her a warm smile before he turned back towards their new foe.

"I thought you weren't going to interfere!" Rex shouted as he moved up next to Pyra. She gave him a small smile and handed him back his sword before she stepped back.

"That was until I saw you bunch just standing there! Morag is busy with Goldie so I think I might as well have my fun now! After all, I can't just let you escape!" Mordred boasted.

"Fun? This is fun to you?!" Nia asked, shocked. Mordred seemed a little surprised by her question.

"Well of course. I want to improve myself so I need to seek out fine opponents. The Aegis is a legendary Blade, any worthwhile warrior would want to test themselves against it!" Mordred explained excitedly.

"You…you're rather upbeat about this…" Dromarch said slowly.

"You bet I am! Now lets go! My father won't be able to ignore me after I take you down!" Mordred lunged at them immediately, specifically right for Rex.

"Whoa!" Rex brought his sword up to block her attack and his arms buckled a bit from the strike. It felt like there were multiple people that swung at him, not just one!

"Rex!" Nia sprung in and tried to slash at Morded but she easily backed off to avoid her.

"Hold still!" Nia swung her blades again and again but Mordred kept dancing around her attacks as if she was a little kid.

"Ok!" Mordred stopped moving and Nia slashed her blades against her chest plate but they skidded across it harmlessly. Rex's eyes widened when he saw that and no doubt Nia's were even wider.

"Hm…that was lackluster…" Mordred said in a disappointed tone as she backhanded Nia away so hard that Dromarch had to catch her.

"Try this!" Poppi charged in and Mordred smirked as she brought her sword up to block Poppi's punch. Poppi's attack hit her sword so hard that it created a small shock wave but Mordred didn't seem affected.

"A worthy strike. That would have actually dented my armor if I let that go through!" Mordred praised as she pushed the purple haired girl back and sent her flying with a kick. Then she quickly lashed out with her sword towards Tora, who managed to bring his sword up in time to block it. Unfortunately the little Nopon was unprepared for the knight's strength and was flung back with his Blade.

"Ah…shields, I never liked them even when they were on my side!" Mordred boasted as she held Tora down. Rex moved in next to try and capitalize on her while she wasn't looking. Mordred just stepped to the side to avoid him and delivered a brutal backhand to his face.

"Ah!" Rex reeled from the hit as he shook his head to try and regain his bearings. When he did he saw Mordred's sword coming right at his face!

"Whoa!" Rex jumped back but thankfully it was unneeded since Pyra put an ether shield up to tank the strike and reflect Mordred back. Her green eyes widened a bit and Rex dove in to capitalize on the situation.

"Lets go!" Rex shouted as he moved in. He saw Nia and Tora come in from the sides as well.

"Take this! Double Spinning Edge!" Rex landed the first strike on Mordred but the second one was blocked and Rex was forced back by his opponent's superior strength. Nia managed to score a hit as well but this time she put more power into her strikes. Similar to Rex she got one hit in but she was batted away immediately after. Tora didn't even get to strike her since Mordred literally stopped his shield with her hand and kicked him away.

"Darn it all that and barely anything got through!" When Rex got back into his fighting stance he saw Mordred looking at her left arm. Rex looked closer and saw a black line going across her gauntlet. He also noted a small cut along her chest plate as well but that one was more superficial compared to the one on her arm.

"Heh…nice ones kids. You might actually be worth the fuss after all…how about I kick things up a little more…" Mordred praised as she gave him a rather scary smile. She hefted her sword up again and Rex readied himself for her. He nodded to Tora and Nia as they both had recovered from their bouts with Mordred as well. He gave a final glance towards Pyra who just gave him a confident nod. Then he turned back towards his opponent and nodded to his friends.

"Right…here goes…" Rex took a breath before he charged in. Hopefully Gil was having a bit more luck on his end…

"Ha!" Gil caught one of Morag's swords in a cross block between his swords and in a quick motion he twisted her sword out of her hand, which made her eyes widen. Then he brought both his swords down onto her as she raised her single sword to block. His swords struck hers viciously and actually made her wince. Gil didn't let up though; he pulled back and brought his swords down onto her guard brutally, one slash after another.

"She might be stronger than the common mongrel but she doesn't have my strength!" Gil thought as he beat down on her guard, not giving her a moment of respite. The moment he saw her footing give he kicked her gut.

"UGH!" Morag skid across the ground a few feet away. She stuck her sword into the ground in order to stop herself and hold herself up but Gil wouldn't give her the time to recover.

"This ends now!" Gil leapt at her quickly. Her eyes flashed up to his but they weren't filled with fear, they were full of…satisfaction? Then he suddenly felt power surge through the ether and he turned to see Brighid coming right at him with Morag's other sword!

"Tch!" Gil barely turned in time to block the strike but then Brighid twisted and planted her foot on his arm and literally used him as a springboard to launch herself back and force him to the ground.

"Damn it!" Gil hit the ground feet first, actually gritting his teeth from the impact. He glared at the Blade who seemed to be smug about her actions.

"How careless!" Gil's eyes widened and he barely had time to bring his sword up to deflect Morag's strike from piercing his chest. Before he could counter though he noticed Brighid lunge towards him, forcing him to use his other sword to deflect her strike. Then he felt Morag kick one of his feet from under him.

"Mongrels!" Gil pushed himself up into the air and spun in a sideways angle to dodge Morag and Brighid's swords and he lashed out at them with his swords and his feet, forcing them to back away as he landed on his feet and returned to his stance. Morag and Brighid both stared at him with interest. Brighid handed her sword back to Morag before she took a few steps back and returned to working as support.

"Hm, you are an interesting one. You possess skill with the sword. Yet you have no Blade…why? Surely you realize that you would become something truly terrifying if you did. I find it very unlikely that one such as you would not possess the aptitude…so tell me…why?" Morag asked and Gil narrowed his eyes at her.

"Let's just say that I want to prove myself with my own ability," Gil answered.

"Hm admirable…yet arrogant. Very few would share your thought process, even fewer hold onto them," Morag said, Gil didn't know if that was a compliment or an insult.

"Enough, are you going to fight or talk?" Gil asked and Morag seemed amused for some reason.

"You have as much fire as the other one," she said before she dashed towards him again. He met her in the middle as they once again engaged in a vicious exchange.

"When are you going to stop holding back?" Morag asked as she parried one of his attacks.

"What do you mean?" Gil asked as he suddenly brought his swords down to stop her advance. She held his swords back in a lock as she stared at him.

"You have a natural talent with the blade that is refined as well but there's something more to you than that! Just like that Aegis, there's something you're hiding away…" Morag grit as she tried and failed to push Gil off.

"That's for me to know…" Gil thought as he pushed her back a few steps and lunged at her only for an ether shield to reflect his attack. He grit his teeth in annoyance as he was forced into the defensive once again as Morag set upon him.

"You're a stubborn one…" Morag pressed her advantage on him but Gil stood firm and blocked all her attacks without giving any ground. Then Gil sensed a familiar power spike through the ether.

"Lady Morag!" Brighid shouted urgently. Morag pulled away from him and jumped back and Gil was forced to back away as well as a fireball flew in between them.

"Rex!" Gil chided as he turned towards the Aegis wielder in annoyance. His eyes widened when he realized that Rex and the others had been fighting against Mordred though. He saw Tora and Poppi were busy the knight's sword back but she seemed like she was hardly trying. How did he not notice? They weren't even trying to hide their power, was he that focused on Morag and Brighid?

"Sorry!" Rex said sheepishly as he looked at Pyra who seemed just as embarrassed. He saw that Gil was in a stalemate with Morag so he tried to lend a hand since Tora and Poppi could hold Mordred back at least for a bit. He was trying to hit Morag but he ended up putting a bit too much power into the blast. He thought it would be smaller, but it ended up being too much.

"Keep-"

"Gil look out!" Rex warned as he saw Morag close in on the blonde. In response Gil ducked under a strike that would have pierced his neck and then he slashed towards Morag's leg but an ether shield appeared to deflect him once again. Except this time Gil stopped before his swords connected and leapt into the air.

"Wha-" Gil slammed his feet into the shield and used the energy that reflected him to launch himself towards Rex.

"Whoa!" Rex watched Gil flip through the air and land right next to him.

"You really need to keep your eyes on the fight," Gil chided before he looked behind them and his eyes widened.

"Wa-" Rex didn't hear whatever came next since two bodies literally impacted him from behind, sending him onto the floor in a heap.

"Ugh…" Gil shook his head as he saw that Tora and Poppi had literally been launched at Rex's back. Then he tensed when he saw Mordred come right towards them but when he moved to intercept her, Nia came in and forced her to cease her charge for a moment. She brought her ring blades up to stop her sword but Mordred seemed like she was barely putting the effort in.

"Gil!" Pyra shouted and the blonde turned just in time to see Morag and Brighid storming over but their eyes weren't exactly on them.

"Mordred!" Morag shouted and everything just seemed to stop.

"Guys get up!" Pyra said quickly and Rex groaned as he felt Tora and Poppi both get off of him. Poppi was heavier than she looked…he shouldn't have been surprised though, she was basically a robot.

"Man…this isn't going well…" Rex thought as he got up to see Morag's glare though it wasn't directed at him.

"Hm…what?" Rex turned around to see Mordred sigh as Nia still tried to push her back. The knight reached out and pushed Nia back with one hand, sending her skidding back towards them. Then she leaned her sword onto her shoulder again as she looked past them all towards the Inquisitor.

"I told you to stay put!" Morag chided and Mordred just shrugged.

"Well you were preoccupied with Goldie there so I thought it was fine for me to jump in," she said nonchalantly. Gil bristled a little at the nickname she gave him but he kept his anger in check.

"What you should have done, was follow my commands…" Morag came back to her usual tone but it still had noticeable bite behind it.

"Well they were likely to run off or hit you in the back if I did nothing," Mordred responded carelessly. Morag didn't respond right away but Rex and Gil could tell that she was not amused or satisfied by Mordred's answer either.

"…We will be having a word about this later…" Morag said finally before she turned her attention back to the group, making Rex and Gil tense with the rest of their friends.

"I don't suppose you were having any luck with Mordred?" Gil asked. The little bit he saw made it look like Mordred was fighting them off like they were little kids but he could have missed something since he only caught the last part.

"About as much as you could expect. She stonewalled us like Morag and Brighid did," Rex answered. Mordred was a monster plain and simple. If Morag was graceful and impossible to hit then Mordred was like a steel wall that could takehtis and dish out even harder hits in return. Rex and the others dealt damage, the cuts on Mordred's armor were evident of that but from the way she reacted; it was like they barely touched her. Rex had a feeling their attacks didn't reach far enough to actually harm her and if they did they were probably superficial at best.

"I assume you haven't been able to get anywhere with Morag and Brighid also?" Rex asked and Gil grunted in annoyance. He wasn't in a once sided fight; he was in a stalemate. He could outdo Morag but Brighid kept covering up her vulnerable moments. Loathe as he was to admit, together they were trouble for him.

"It appears that we are in a rather troubling position…" Azurda said finally as he poked his head out.

"Really what tipped you off Gramps?" Rex asked as he kept his eyes on Mordred. She smiled at him challengingly and made a beckoning motion towards him.

"We can't beat her head on," Nia said as she turned to the Aegis Driver and Rex hated to admit it but she had a point.

"We don't have to beat them, we just need to get away from them. Perhaps we just have to hold out until an opportunity comes up?" Pyra asked. That was a good idea too; it wasn't like they could beat them in their current states anyway.

"That's fine but there's still the issue of all of you surviving long enough for that opportunity to rise," Gil pointed out. Rex chuckled since he noticed Gil didn't say "we".

"Tora, can you and Poppi take her hits?" Rex asked. During the fight Tora and Poppi tried to take the brunt of the attacks but even they were being pushed back. Rex hoped that shield of Tora's was as tough as Poppi.

"Poppi and Tora can," Tora responded confidently.

"That's all well and good but it won't mean much if you can't even hurt that Mongrel," Gil pointed out as he kept his eyes on Morag and Brighid.

"Well we can't just lay down and lose either. We have to keep trying," Rex said and Gil didn't have the heart to refute him.

"Old Man, I think I'm going to have to go all in…" Gil said as he turned towards his Titan caretaker. Azurda seemed a little saddened by this for some reason but he nodded.

"Indeed…I don't think any of us can hold back in this fight otherwise we'll lose," he responded and Gil nodded.

"We should try to stay closer to each other this time. That way we can switch between targets if we need to," Rex said and Gil nodded in agreement. It was a risky move but they were the weaker group overall so they had to pool together their strength.

"They don't like each other apparently so hopefully we can use that to our advantage even if it's a small one. Lets hope they don't know how to work together. Lets go ahead and switch opponents now while we're at it. Like I said, you can't really hurt Mordred, but I should be able to. Maybe you'll have better luck with Morag," Gil said as he kept his eyes on his targets. It was wishful thinking but it was something at least.

"Right…but Gil are you sure about this? If you use them here…" Rex didn't finish his sentence but he didn't have to.

"There will be no hiding," Pyra added in next and Gil glanced at the redhead. She seemed concerned, more concerned than he would have expected though, especially since it was directed at him. Very few people actually worried about him out of genuine fondness for him. Then again, Pyra was Rex's Blade so perhaps she had better insights than most.

"Not like I have much of a choice…besides, whatever desire for privacy I had was dashed the moment Rex picked the Aegis up. Plus I doubt the Inquisitor over there is going to be forgetting our faces anytime soon. We also have those Torna guys gunning for us," Gil chuckled nonchalantly but Pyra didn't seem satisfied, she seemed a little saddened actually.

"Are you quite done chattering?" Morag called and Gil smiled slightly as he turned back to her.

"Indeed…now then, I believe you were trying to goad me into showing my hand. Well it looks like I'll be able to oblige you after all…" Gil said as he snapped his fingers and his armor flashed onto his body in his usual manner and then he opened his Bab-ilu fully with weapons poised to launch. Morag's eyes widened in shock and her mouth gaped slightly; it was the most emotion she had shown so far on her visage. Brighid on the other hand actually opened her eyes, revealing the purple irises of her eyes. Her eyes seemed calm but Gil had a feeling the act of opening her eyes was a sign of shock from her.

"Wha-" Gil unleashed his treasures on them before they got a word out. Brighid brought up an ether wall to block his barrage but he didn't let up, he smiled when he saw cracks starting to form. Ether shields weren't invincible so he just had to shell it until it broke!

"Whoa what's that?" Mordred asked, intrigued.

"I'll show you!" Gil shouted as he turned around and started firing his arsenal at Mordred. The knight's eyes widened but to her credit she managed to deflect or avoid everything that came her way. Gil's eyes narrowed as he pressed his attack on her.

"Let's go guys!" Rex shouted as he charged right for Morag and Brighid. Their ether shield had cracks all over it due to Gil's barrage but it was still up!

"Pyra!" Rex held his sword up and Pyra nodded as she started sending large amounts of ether to him.

"Take this!" Rex fired off a large fireball that impacted Morag's shield but it did not shatter quite yet.

"Tora go!" Rex shouted and Tora threw his shield to Poppi who leapt into the air and dived towards the Inquisitor. Except right when she was about to impact the ether wall it literally disappeared and Morag twisted to the side and kicked Poppi in the side, all in one motion.

"Damn it!" Nia hopped in on her flank but Brighid came between them and literally introduced the bottom of her foot to the girl's face, sending the poor girl sprawling onto the ground in a heap.

"Guys!" Rex went in full force despite the sheer stupidity of the act. Morag simply blocked his strike with just one of her blades, holding him back despite Rex pushing her with everything!

"You have heart, boy but you lack experience…and skill," she said simply and Rex grit his teeth as he tried to force her back but she didn't budge one bit. If anything she seemed amused more than anything.

"Your friend would have forced me back ten times by now. You don't have his strength or his skill," she taunted and Rex growled in frustration.

"You'll find me strong enough!" Rex shouted as he ceased his pressure on Morag and spun to the side. He planted his sword in the ground and used it as leverage to twist himself around to deliver a kick but his eyes widened when his foot was caught. Morag was holding both her swords in one hand while the free one was gripping Rex's outstretched foot, keeping it from landing on her abdomen.

"I am not impressed," Morag said simply before she booted Rex in the gut, sending him flying without his sword.

"Ugh…" Rex coughed as he landed on the ground. Her kick had knocked the air out of him.

"Nothing I try works!" Rex screamed in his mind as he sat up. If he didn't win this then his journey was going to end!

"Rex!" he felt Pyra come up behind him and help him up.

"You ok?" she asked and he nodded slowly.

"Rex!" Nia and Tora came up to his side with their Blades right away.

"Rex-Rex, nothing we try works! Big scary human too strong!" Tora said worriedly.

"As much as I hate to admit it, he's right. We're no match for her like this, she can match and counter our every move," Nia grit her teeth in anger.

"I know but we can't give up! We won't get to Olympus if we don't win here!" Rex exclaimed as he glared at Morag. She was inspecting his sword at the moment.

"There is much power in your Blade, boy. I can feel it in this sword but your lack of skill and experience make it worthless," Morag said simply. Rex winced slightly at the jab, he knew he was new but he thought he had done pretty well all things considered.

"Your inability robs your Blade of her true power, your powers are not balanced and because of that you will always fail to defeat me," Morag stated as she gazed at him pointedly but Rex just glared at her defiantly. Then her gaze softened slightly.

"Hm…I must applaud your heart though," she said as she threw his sword to him. Rex's eyes widened and he barely managed to catch it before it hit his face. He looked at her questioningly and she simply took her stance again.

"Well, try again if you dare," she beckoned and Rex sighed. He looked towards his companions and they nodded despite their battered state. He activated his sword again, he had to go all out if they wanted to have a chance. Maybe if he and Pyra used Burning Sword they could make an opening or at least it could be enough for them to escape.

"Right, we'll just have to try and slip away. Try to make an opening for us to make a break for it," Rex commanded and his friends all nodded. Rex nodded back and they all went in but before they could reach Morag, they all flinched as they felt the shockwave of a clash before a column of smoke and dirt kicked up between them.

"What the heck was that!?" Nia grit. Rex had to cover his face to keep the dust out of his eyes. He narrowed his eyes to try and see what was going on. Then suddenly the dust was all pushed away by another shockwave followed by a loud clang of metal. Rex blinked and expected to see Morag and Brighid rushing them but they were still standing where they were before and they were staring at something else. Rex focused in on what happened his eyes widened when he saw Gil and Mordred with their swords locked, standing in between his group and Morag.

"!" Gil grit his teeth as he tried to force Mordred back but she wouldn't budge! He could see she had the same issue since her sneer matched his own.

"Why won't you go down!?" she yelled as she broke their lock and tried to go for his neck. He deflected her cut easily and went for his own attack but instead of her neck he went right for her face.

"Tch!" she grit her teeth as she tilted her head to the side and batted his sword away with one of her hands before she brought her knee up to his gut only for him to slam the pommel of his other sword into said knee. She winced slightly before he quickly planted his foot in her gut.

The kick did little more than send her skidding back in the dirt though and Gil grit his teeth as he rushed in and barraged her with quick slashes and stabs. Her sword met all of his strikes with loud clangs of metal and sparks. Gil sneered at her as she matched him blow for blow and move for move.

"This Mongrel is actually making me try like that other one!" Gil screamed in his head. He was elated and angry at the same time. He forced his anger down before it could get the better of him though.

"I hope Rex has a plan, I can't think of one like this!" Gil thought as he and Mordred clashed again and again, both trying to find some kind of opening to exploit. Then something caught Gil's attention and a plan formed in his head. He just hoped Rex could figure out a way to get away first.

* * *

 **Rex's POV**

"What the hell?!" Nia screamed, knocking Rex out of his shock. He blinked and looked at his friends to see they were all staring in shock. All except for Pyra who seemed a little more subdued like she had seen the display before.

"Every move is so fast and their blows are creating shockwaves from how hard they're swinging their swords," Dromarch said in equal awe. Rex was about to comment before he saw that Brighid and Morag were both more than a little interested in the fight between the two blondes and their eyes were not on them.

"Pyra…" Rex whispered and she blinked as her eyes went to him. He nodded towards Morag and Brighid and she turned her gaze and she seemed to see what he had planned but before Rex could raise his sword, Pyra placed her hand on it.

"Rex, wait. Even if we can launch an attack, it won't be enough to take them down. Even if we deal damage, I doubt it will be enough to win the fight and they won't give us another opportunity. Rex wanted to attack anyway but he remembered their whole fight. They couldn't touch her at all. They needed to get out, Rex grit his teeth as he tried to think of something. Then his eyes landed on a water tower right outside the base.

"Wait…Brighid doesn't like water…" Rex recalled how quickly the fire blade lost power when water struck her. They just had to get her under the water tower. Rex knew what to do. He quickly shook Nia and Tora to get them to focus on him.

"Pyra, we're going to fire a blast anyway to distract them. Then we'll all make a run for it. We need to get them under the water tower over there. Then we'll bring it down on top of them. Poppi, I'm going to need your help with that. We'll make our escape while Brighid's powers are down," Rex explained and everyone nodded without a word, probably still in shock from Gil and Mordred's fight. Rex couldn't blame them, he had known Gil his whole life and he was still shaken.

"So that's what Gil can do when he's serious," Rex thought, he knew his friend was strong but he had thought that he was closer to him now. It was made painfully obvious that he was far from him still. The whole fight had been a big sign that he wasn't anything compared to real fighters just yet. Yet he didn't feel disheartened, he felt fired up.

"Alright, just give the word. But what about Gil?" Nia asked. Rex flexed his hands a big before he nodded to Pyra so they could start charging energy.

"He'll know when to run," he said though in reality he wasn't sure if Gil would respond at the right time. He was pretty involved in that fight.

"Ok Rex, get ready," Pyra said as Rex held his sword up. The blade started glowing brighter.

"We don't need full power, just enough to distract them," Rex said and Pyra nodded and she poured her power in. Rex waited a few moments before he nodded to her. Then she came up and grabbed the blade with him. Not a moment too soon as well.

"Lady Morag!" Brighid shouted and Rex grit his teeth as their oppenents finally turned back to them. She must have sensed their build up.

"Burning Sword!" Rex and Pyra shouted as they fired their blast at them.

"It won't be that easy boy!" Morag shouted as she stuck one of her swords out and literally caused their flames to part and go around her and Brighid harmlessly. Thankfully, they didn't need the attack to hit them.

"Guys lets go!" Rex shouted as he ran for the entrance. The flames Morag put up had dissipated during the fight thankfully so they were able to just run through.

"Poppi! Quick go get under that water tower and push it over!" Rex shouted as they ran out of the base finally. Poppi did a little salute before she boosted herself over to the water tower and began pushing the thing over.

"Pyra! Quick we need another blast!" Rex shouted as he came to a stop and held his sword up again for Pyra to charge. He saw Brighid and Morag sprinting towards them like he expected, they took the bait.

"Lets go! Burning Sword!" Rex shouted again as he launched a stronger blast at Morag.

"You need to stop getting predictable boy!" Morag shouted as she did the same move and dispersed his flames around her harmlessly but that was exactly what Rex wanted. He smirked slightly as they stood perfectly still right under the water tower.

"Now Poppi!" Rex shouted and right on queue the water tower was tipped over and all of the water spilled all over Morag and Brighid.

"Ah! Damn it!" Brighid cursed as the water touched her. Her glow lessened quite a bit and Rex took that as their queue.

"Lets go guys!" Rex shouted as he launched another fire wave at the ground in front of Morag. The attack kicked up dust and steam, giving them ample cover.

"Come on Rex!" Nia shouted and before Rex could comment, she pulled him onto Dromarch's back with her as they ran for the town. Rex blushed as he found himself with his arms wrapped around Nia as they rode. He blinked as he realized he was forgetting something and he turned only to sigh in relief when he saw Pyra keeping up. Tora and Poppi were keeping up as well though Tora was riding on his Blade's back.

"What about Gilgamesh?" Pyra asked worriedly and Rex turned back to see a large explosion come from the base.

"He'll be fine! We'll stop when we get a bit away from the city. Gil will find us don't worry," Rex shouted. He just hoped that he was right.

* * *

 **Gil's POV**

"Heh…so they're making their move…good…" Gil thought as he watched Rex and the others leave from his peripherals.

"Your friends are leaving you behind," Mordred noted and he glared at her in response. She pressed her sword down on his blades but he did not budge.

"What are yo-ah!" Gil headbutted her before she could finish and she clutched her nose painfully.

"I'll gut you for th-ah!" Gil didn't let her finish again and leapt into the air and delivered both his feet into her face, making her reel back. Then he closed in for the kill. He raised one of his blades towards her face but right before his blade could pierce her, she pushed it up with her gauntlet, making it simply cut her cheek instead. Then she gripped the blade with her hand and used her sword to stop his other blade.

"I've had enough of you Goldie!" Mordred shouted and Gil just smirked.

"The feeling's mutual, Mongrel!" Gil shouted as he let up on his pressure just a bit and pulled Mordred back. His back hit the dirt and he used his feet as a spring board to literally flip her over himself.

"Ah!" Mordred impacted the ground a bit ungracefully but unharmed. She glared at him, baring her teeth slightly.

"I'll rip your head off for that!" she growled and Gil just chuckled as he opened his gate. He threw her there specifically because a fuel tank was right behind her.

"You should worry about yourself first…" Gil said as he pointed behind Mordred. She turned right as he fired his weapons. He took off running right as he fired.

"You son of a bi-" whatever she had to say was cut off by the fuel tank exploding. Gil chuckled to himself but he knew she survived the explosion, someone as stubborn as her wouldn't be killed so easily. Plus he had a feeling she was going to be more trouble down the line. He would prefer to kill her but that would be more trouble than it was worth and he had to catch up with Rex before he got too far away.

He ran out of the base and he laughed slightly when he saw Morag and Brighid covered in water. So that was their plan the whole time. Rex was clever at least. They heard him coming and moved in his way and he came to a stop.

"You best get out of my way. I can feel Brighid's power is faint right now, which means you don't have power right now either, Inquisitor," Gil said nonchalantly as he opened up his Bab-ilu and had weapons poised to fire. They both glared at him for a few moments before they relaxed their stances.

"Tell us, what is your name," Morag said and Gil felt a little surprised by her request. He wanted to deny her but he saw no issue in revealing his name since she already knew Rex, not like he could hide even if he wanted to.

"My name is Gilgamesh," he responded. Neither of them responded and they made no visible reaction either. They just stared at him for a few moments before they silently moved aside.

"You're right, we cannot stop you…" Morag said simply and Gil watched them warily before he ran. He felt their eyes on his back but he ignored it and continued after Rex and his merry band.

"I hope they know to stop when they get far enough away," Gil thought as he ran through the city. Everyone was inside thankfully so there was no need to make a scene. Right when he got to the gates to the gates of the city though he was stopped in his tracks by a familiar voice.

"Where are you off to in a hurry?" Gil turned his head to the side and saw a familiar blonde leaning against the gates, looking at her nails lazily. Then with a flick of her hand she brought out the card that he left her earlier.

"You said give it to someone in your company right? Well do you count?" she asked with a small smile and he couldn't help but smile in return. Perhaps things weren't all bad after all.

* * *

 **Rex's POV**

"Ok! I think that's far enough!" Rex shouted. They all came to a stop at a hill overlooking the city. Rex got off of Dromarch quickly and pat his back in thanks as he looked back at the city.

"We weren't followed. I don't know if they let us go or not but we got away," Pyra panted slightly as she came up to his side rather quickly.

"Tora think that Gilgamesh perhaps keep them at bay?" Tora commented.

"You think that explosion was caused by him? Think he got away ok?" Nia asked as she came up to Rex's other side and she got very close. Rex felt odd but he shook it off.

"Most likely. He probably did it to get away from that crazy knight. From what I saw that probably just annoyed her without hurting her. I wouldn't be worried about Gil though, he's probably on his way here now," Rex said, his brother always came back somehow. Then Rex remembered something.

"Nia?" he asked as he turned to her. He thought he heard Pyra huff but that was probably just her panting from the long run they did. His fellow driver turned to him with questioning eyes.

"You're not going to leave right?" he asked and Nia's ears went straight up.

"Well…" she looked conflicted as her eyes went to the side. Rex placed his hands on her shoulders, bringing her gaze back to him.

"I want you to stay with us. We're all going to Elysium and we can't do it without you," he said and Nia's cheeks flushed red for reasons Rex didn't understand. He let go of her and turned back to Pyra.

"I promised Pyra I would take her to Elysium. How could I not? I want to go there too and besides, she gave half her life to save mine. I will do anything to get her there," he said and Pyra's cheeks flushed as well for some reason. Then Rex turned back to Nia.

"Except it seems half the world is after her and the other half will probably try to get her too when they find out she's around. You heard Morag, she's this big special Blade and they want her power. If we reach Elysium then maybe that can all stop. All the fighting over land and the needless violence, it can all stop if we find it," Rex stated.

"Rex…" Nia frowned.

"Except after fighting Morag and seeing Gil and Mordred fight, its obvious that I'm not strong enough. I couldn't touch any of them and I'm still nowhere near my brother's level even after all this time and he's not even a Driver!" It was difficult for Rex to admit his lack of power but it was apparent.

"Point is, I need help. Gil is always going to have my back but the last fight showed that I can't always rely on just him. I need more people to help like Tora and Poppi, like Dromarch and you, Nia," Rex said as he held his hands out to her.

"Please…I promise that I'll be there for you. You said that your crew was like your family? Well how about us?" Rex offered. Nia's eyes widened before they settled and she smiled slightly as she looked towards the ground.

"Heh…so you really believe in that place huh. You trust Pyra that much? You really think she's not lying to you?" Nia asked and Rex nodded.

"With my life…er or whatever life I have left," Rex scratched the back of his head. What was he supposed to call what Pyra gave him?

"I would never lie to him!" Pyra stated and Rex felt his chest grow warmer at the gesture. Nia chuckled a little before she fixed him with her usual smile.

"Well I can't exactly say no to such blatant compassion," she said.

"My lady?" Dromarch asked but Nia waved him off.

"Don't worry, besides. Rex has a point, he would be helpless without all the help he can get," she said but Rex knew there was no bite in her words.

"So you'll stay?" Rex asked, excitedly. Nia laughed before she crossed her arms.

"Sure on the condition that you'll share your blankets with me," she said.

"Really? Well ok," Rex saw no issue with that, he actually thought about asking her if she wanted to share in the first place. Except for some reason, everyone was looking at him like he just committed some kind of crime and Pyra had a big smile on her face like she was trying to hide something. Nia seemed rather happy actually for some reason, did she dislike the cold that much?

"Um…what?" Rex asked as he saw Pyra's rather big smile crack slightly.

"Oh…its nothing. Do as you wish…" she said quickly and Rex felt like he was under sharp blade.

"Oh Rex, what are we going to do with you…" Azurda sighed.

"What are you talking about, Gramps? What did I do?" Rex asked but the Titan didn't say a thing.

"Don't worry about it too much, it's cute," Nia said slyly as she passed by him with a spring in her step for some reason.

"What did I do?!" Rex asked again to no avail. Tora and Poppi just looked away when he looked to them or in Poppi's case she just waved her arms around quickly.

"I think the better question is what haven't you done?" Gil's voice cut in suddenly. Rex sighed and he turned to greet his brother when he came to a sudden stop.

"Thank you for not running to far away, it would have been bothersome for me to track you in the night," Gil said off handed but that wasn't the issue. The issue was that there was a blonde girl following after him, and she was quite pretty actually.

"Well? Are we going to set up camp or are you going to just stand there?" Gil asked as he came to a stop in front of Rex.

"Um…Rex-Rex, why is there another person with Gilgamesh?" Tora asked as he hopped on his feet.

"I…have no idea…" Rex said. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to say at this point actually. Part of him wanted to yell at him and the other part wasn't really surprised given the past few days.

"Who the heck is she?" Nia asked. Thankfully she didn't have Rex's issues.

"Huh? Oh, well this is the woman I told you guys about. The one I met while you were waiting for Rex to pull whatever he needed from the cloud sea," Gil said nonchalantly like the past few hours didn't happen at all.

"Ok…and why is she here?" Rex asked finally.

"I told you I gave her one of my cards didn't I? Well she decided to give it back to me, instead of going somewhere else," Gil answered. That…was actually rather interesting. Rex couldn't recall anyone actually coming to Gil with a recommendation, then again Rex couldn't recall anyone getting personal recommendations from Gil himself either.

"So she's here why?" Rex asked after he got his thoughts straightened out again.

"Since no one has tried to come to me with a recommendation before, I thought it right to at least hear what she wanted. She wants to come with us," Gil said and Rex gawked.

"Wait what?!" Rex exclaimed.

"And you said yes?!" Nia screeched.

"Obviously," Gil said and Rex deadpanned. He knew Gil would sometimes do things randomly but this was just out of nowhere.

"Relax, I didn't say she could stay with us indefinitely. We'll take her with us until we get to Uraya, and then we'll drop her off there. I think the people there will like her," Gil said easily.

"But we're supposed to be going to Elysium," Rex reminded and Gil just shrugged.

"And we're going straight to the World Tree from Gormott?" Gil asked. Rex wanted to say yes but then again, Uraya was a bit closer to the World Tree than Gormott. It would be nice to stop there before they went to the tree.

"…Alright, you win Gil. I guess I can't really argue anyway since I made us go get Nia," Rex chuckled at the end.

"Wait you're agreeing to this?!" Nia exclaimed and Rex scratched the back of his head.

"Well yeah. I mean Gil trusts her and I trust Gil so that's enough for me. We can just stop at Uraya first like he said. We can probably just stop at one of Gil's places there to rest before we go to the World Tree," Rex explained. Nia didn't seem appeased by that answer, Tora and Poppi seemed a bit skeptical as well. Dromarch just stood there, watching.

"I think we can trust her," Pyra said suddenly and Rex blinked in surprise. He looked at Pyra, confused and she smiled.

"I think we can trust her Rex," Pyra affirmed.

"I believe we can trust her as well, Rex," Azurda piped up and Rex turned to him in surprise.

"Really?" Rex was a little surprised. Still though, if Pyra and Azurda were in then there wasn't really a question in his mind. She didn't look bad either though she seemed to be looking them all over like she was weighing their worth.

"If it makes you feel any better, I could always just sleep on the opposite side of camp from you," she said, her voice held a bit of bite in them and she postured herself very confidently, a lot different from how Pyra would act.

"Fine…" Nia's ears flattened on her head as she walked off with Dromarch in tow.

"So what is new friend's name?" Tora asked as he bounced up to the new blonde.

"Yeah, we don't even know your name yet," Rex agreed. She smirked slightly before she glanced at Rex like he was amusing in some way before she nodded.

"My name is Mythra, it's a pleasure to meet all of you,"

* * *

 **Man this took way longer than I thought it would. I don't have much to say really, the chapter speaks for itself.**


	9. Dreams

I own nothing

 **Well another chapter for all of you. I'm honestly surprised I got this finished so fast but its not as long as the last one. Well not much to say other than hope you enjoy!**

 _Italics for dreams_

 ** _Bold for POV change or Author notes_**

* * *

Chapter 9: Dreams

 **Rex's POV**

"Ouch!" Rex hissed. Pyra was tending to the wounds he suffered from the fight with Morag. She had just pressed the bandages against the wound though and the salve on them burned.

"Sorry!" Pyra apologized as she tried to wrap the bandages around his torso. Rex shivered since he had to take his helmet and his shirt off in order for her to tend to his wound effectively. Thankfully they got the campfire set up already so Rex wouldn't freeze in the night.

"No, its ok they need to be secured. I just wasn't expecting the pain," Rex sighed as she finished tying his bandages on.

"Relax, it's better than all those times Leysritt patched him up," Gil cut in from the other side of the campfire. Rex shuddered since his friend was correct. He still wasn't sure how she was certified to watch over kids. She was so lazy in comparison to Corinne and Sella.

"You mean he got hurt like this all the time?" Pyra asked, aghast. Gil just chuckled slightly before he shook his head.

"No, only small scraps and cuts. She would always rub the disinfectant into the wounds real hard though. I can't imagine what she would do for something like that. I can only think of one other person that would probably do worse," the resident blonde spoke and Rex sighed.

"Relax, Pyra I'm fine, see," Rex stood up from the log he was using as a seat and moved around to show how he was feeling. Though when he twisted his back, he ended up aggravating his wound, forcing him to sit back down.

"Ok yeah…ow…" Rex groaned as he tried to sooth the pain.

"Rex, please take it easy," Pyra pleaded as she held his hand gently. The look of absolute worry in her red eyes made Rex blush since he had never had a girl worry about him this much aside from Corinne.

"Err…right…don't worry I'm feeling better though," Rex promised and Pyra sighed but she smiled all the same.

"That's probably Nia's medicine at work," Pyra said as she turned towards their resident cat driver. She was resting with her back against Dromarch again and she gave them a small smile and a wave. Rex waved back as he settled in his seat as he took in the camp.

Gil was sitting across from Pyra and Rex with their newest addition, Mythra. They were in the middle of a conversation and they seemed to be hitting it off nicely actually. Mythra seemed legitimately interested in everything he had to say. Rex still wasn't a hundred percent sure about her but she seemed nice except she had an attitude. Though that was probably a good thing since it seemed like she had the fire to match Gil. Rex couldn't really hear what they were saying since they were keeping their voices a little low, so he assumed they were talking about Gil's trips to different parts of the world. That was usually what people wanted to hear from him.

Poppi and Tora were settled in on Rex's left. They were already looking like they were about to pass out, though Rex wasn't sure if Poppi could actually sleep. It was rather sweet; they were curled up together with Poppi wrapping herself around Tora like he was a big stuffed animal. Tora seemed so tired that he didn't really care. Rex had to remind himself that they were even younger than he was, so they were probably even more drained than he was from the past day.

Nia and Dromarch had the spot to Rex's right. Dromarch was already asleep but Nia seemed to be waiting for Rex to come over. He did decide to share his blanket with her, he wondered if he should just give the blanket to her so she could sleep. She looked exhausted like she hadn't really rested since their ordeal on that old ship where they found Pyra. It made Rex worry about her.

"It feels nice doesn't it?" Pyra asked and Rex turned to her. She was looking up at the embers of the fire, flying around like little night bugs.

"Yeah…" Rex agreed, it was nice to take a load off.

"It's been constant action and worry for the past few days. I think this is the first time we can sit back and relax without something looming over us tomorrow," Rex said as he pulled his shirt back over his head. He saw that Azurda had nodded off to sleep in his helmet already and decided to go ahead and leave it where it was.

"I guess so. There was definitely a lot that happened, especially yesterday. Though for me everything's been a lot to take in," Pyra mentioned and Rex winced since he remembered that she had only been around for a few days now.

"Has it been fun at least? I know this has been a lot better than my old routine so far aside from almost getting killed multiple times," he hoped that she wasn't disappointed in what she's seen and he especially hoped she liked in him as her Driver.

"Of course, I wouldn't trade any of this away," Pyra smiled at him and Rex felt his heart flutter again. He chuckled and moved his hand to a different position except it brushed against something. When he turned he saw that it was the core he took from Dughall. It was dark though like it was dead.

"Hey…um, is this core broken? I thought Blade Cores were supposed to be blue?" Rex asked as he held the core up to Pyra. She grimaced slightly at the sight.

"It's recharging. When a Blade reverts back to its core state, the core can't be reused right away. Think of it as a resting phase for Blades," Nia spoke up. She leaned away from Dromarch and rested her arms on her knees.

"Considering what that bastard did to him, it's probably going to take that Blade a lot longer than usual to be ready for use again," Nia looked sad as she finished the sentence.

"Right…wait what did he do it? What did you guys call it? Berserker?" Rex asked. He didn't have time to ask before since they were in a hurry but now they had time.

No one responded to his question right away. Gil and Mythra stopped their conversation and turned to him. Tora and Poppi seemed to lose their exhaustion; they probably wanted to know what it was as well. Nia just curled in her legs a bit more while Pyra's eyes just went down.

"They're called Berserker Chips," Nia spoke finally and Rex turned to his friend.

"You probably don't know this since you're new but it is possible to upgrade your Blade with little enhancements or augments. They're called Core Chips," Nia explained and Rex nodded.

"So these Berserker Chips are…upgrades?" Rex asked and Gil scoffed.

"If you call turning into a "mad dog" a upgrade sure," Gil's disgust was obvious for all to see and Mythra seemed just as adverse to it since she had a glare on her face.

"That's a perfect way to put it actually," Nia spoke with disdain.

"I'm sorry, I don't follow," Rex said as he looked between them all.

"They were developed during the Aegis War centuries ago. They were created as a way to try and fight against the Great Tyrant and later on they were used against the one that threatened Alrest back then," Mythra spoke up this time though she sounded so angry like she was personally affected by it.

"Wait…Great Tyrant, didn't Morag say something about that? Didn't she say that he destroyed his own Titan?" Rex couldn't imagine what would possess a ruler to destroy his own land.

"Yes but he didn't do it for the reason that she thinks," Pyra spoke up this time in a noticeably lower tone.

"Pyra?" Rex was surprised by her anger, she almost never got angry.

"Right, you were there five hundred years ago," Nia mentioned and Rex wanted to slam his hand into his face for forgetting that crucial fact.

"So you knew him?" Rex asked and Pyra nodded.

"I did, he was one of my friends. And…well can we leave it at that please, I don't want to talk about it right now," Pyra looked depressed as she finished the sentence. Rex wanted to ask more but he held his tongue since he didn't want to force her to say something she was uncomfortable with.

"Getting back on track, the Berserker Chips were designed back then right? They were derived from the madness enhancement right?" Mythra spoke next. Rex had no idea what that was. Pyra seemed surprised though.

"You're well read," she commented and Mythra smiled confidently.

"Well of course, I'm no common farm girl after all," she responded arrogantly, making Rex sweat drop. It was almost like talking to another Gil.

"Ok can someone explain what they actually do?" Rex asked, they kept putting it off. Rex wanted to know exactly why they disliked them so much.

"First you need to understand where they originated from," Pyra said calmly though from the way she was fidgeting she didn't seem calm. Rex tilted his head at that.

"You mean that thing you mentioned, the madness enhancement? What's that?" Rex asked.

"It's magic," Gil cut in, making Mythra and Pyra flinch for some reason.

"Magic?" Rex asked and Gil nodded.

"You know magic used to be a big thing centuries ago right? Remember the stories Corinne told us about King Arthur and the Holy Grail or the Grand Caster Merlin?" Rex did remember those stories, how could he forget? He loved them as a kid and the other kids liked them as well.

"Your caretaker knew about magic?" Mythra asked, she looked troubled for some reason.

"Something like that. Back onto topic though, magic used to be practiced a lot in the past though nowadays the mages have kind of died off in favor of Drivers and Blades so people think that magic isn't real anymore but it obviously is," Gil explained nonchalantly.

"Grampy-pon said that magic was like science," Tora piped up tiredly.

"Well, I imagine many mages were scientists as well," Gil chuckled hollowly at that remark.

"So this madness enhancement is a spell?" Rex asked.

"That's the basic idea but its what the spell does that's important. It gives the person speed, strength and heightened abilities that wouldn't be possible for them normally. Except it has a price," Gil explained and Rex remembered what Dolmes was like in the fight. He was like a mad beast that had no regard for pain, or mercy for that matter.

"You have seen the results first hand, the Berserker chips are supposed to be an exact replica of the spell, just that they're used on Blades not people or animals," Gil remarked with a sneer.

"He's not wrong," Pyra confirmed and Rex felt cold.

"So…they turn into nothing but mindless beasts?" that sounded like a fate worse than death to Rex. Blades couldn't die unless their driver died either so they were stuck like that.

"I read that there are some cases where especially strong willed people can maintain themselves while gaining the enhanced powers but those are rare cases. With Blades it's the same," Mythra said softly without the edge in her voice. She was playing with her coat, nervously even though there was nothing on the coat to mess with really.

"The chips were outlawed after the war centuries ago but they're still around now, I had hoped they would be extinct by now or near it like the mages," Pyra said mournfully as she clutched her hands together tightly.

"Fat chance of that happening, I've seen plenty of people use them like they were normal core chips, Dughall was just one of thousands," Nia threw out as she leaned back against Dromarch. Her eyes were sad like she had lost someone to the chips. Rex wondered if Pyra had lost anyone close to her as well to them.

"I think that's enough dreary talk for now. We have to get moving tomorrow and if we keep talking like this, we won't get any sleep," Gil cut in again.

"Tora likes that idea…mm…" Tora nodded off almost right away; apparently even a bad subject couldn't take away his exhaustion fully. Poor guy must have been more out of it than Rex thought.

"Poppi will enter stasis mode as well…" Poppi spoke as she clutched her "masterpon" tightly as she nodded off as well.

"Those two are precious," Mythra sighed happily and Rex couldn't help but agree. They reminded him of the twins back home when they were a bit younger when they were sleeping like that.

"We should get to bed too then," Nia sighed as she waved Rex over. He picked his blanket up from his pack and went over to Nia and laid down next to her. The blanket spread over them easily enough so Rex gave her some space but surprisingly she moved closer to him.

"Sorry, just to keep warm, yeah?" Nia asked in a hushed manner. She snuggled into him and wrapped her arms around his waist much to Rex's embarrassment. She nodded off fairly fast and started purring gently, which Rex found a bit cute. He would never say that though out of fear of embarrassment and pain from said girl.

"Is she asleep?" Rex nearly jumped when Pyra suddenly appeared next to him. She leaned herself on his shoulder slightly and she winced. Rex looked down and saw some bandages wrapped around her torso.

"Pyra? You're hurt?" Rex asked worriedly. She placated him with a smile though.

"It was just a scratch, don't worry. I'm a Blade, so I'll heal soon enough. It's you we need to worry about," Pyra explained nonchalantly. Rex frowned and thought about something before he went ahead with the idea.

"Might as well…" Rex thought as he wrapped his arm around Pyra and pulled her closer.

"Wha-Rex?!" Pyra squirmed gently but she didn't push away as he pulled her close and put the blanket over her too.

"There, you feel better now? My blanket is oversized already plus Nia and I are small so you can fit under it too," Rex would offer her some comfort at least if she was going to bat him away from her wound. Though it wound up with Rex leaning on her since she was the taller one. Pyra didn't seem adverse to the closeness at least.

"This is just fine Rex," Pyra said gently as she wrapped and arm around his shoulders gently. Rex blushed as she pulled him closer.

"The fire is pretty isn't it? Especially the embers?" Pyra's words brought Rex's eyes to the campfire and he saw it start building a bit, it looked like the flames were dancing. Then he noticed Pyra had her other hand extended out.

"You're doing that?" Rex was in awe; he didn't realize her powers went that far.

"Of course, it's what I do," Pyra smiled at him and she snapped her fingers and a flame appeared over her fingers.

"Someone taught me a long time ago that fire was more than just a power to destroy, he told me that anything could be used for evil but good as well," the look on her face was so happy, Rex wished she could always look that way.

"They must have been a good person," Rex meant it too. Pyra laughed gently before she looked at him.

"I would hope so. He was one of my best friend for a reason," then she brought the flame close to her face and blew on it gently, sending the flames out into the air. Rex watched with wide eyes as the embers fly into the air like a stream of air. They were almost like mini fireworks. Then Pyra started waving her hand and the flames started moving around in the air in response to her movements.

Rex found himself feeling quite comfortable now as he watched Pyra work with the embers. He barely noticed Nia hug him tighter as he was entranced with the fire embers. Before he knew it he felt himself drifting off into oblivion.

* * *

 **Gil's POV Hours Later**

 _Gil found himself looking up in the sky, he could not move on his own will though. It was a clear day but something was strange. He saw a Titan's head but…he didn't recognize the Titan at all. It looked like a dragon's head with a long neck. Then his gaze suddenly went down._

 _"Hey! We're all having lunch here! Don't you want to eat?" Gil's gaze was on a young Gormotti boy with green eyes and light brown hair. He was wearing a oriental styled outfit with some simple shoes and gloves. He had a bright smile on his face as he held out a simple bowl full of some type of soup. Gil wondered who this boy was; he had never seen him before._

 _"Please…" he looked a little saddened suddenly, the person Gil was looking through must have made some kind of grimace. Then a golden armored hand reached out and took the bowl from the boy rather curtly. Gil thought the armor looked familiar but he couldn't quite see since it moved so quickly._

 _"Thanks- I knew you would like it!" the boy exclaimed._

 _"Aww…looks like he's actually warming up to us! He actually took Milton's offer!" a sly voice called and Gil's vision shifted to the side quickly as if in anger._

 _He saw two people, sitting on a log next to him both of them were women. One was a young woman with short brown hair, dressed in an oriental style outfit like the boy but she was clearly a warrior since she had black armor adorning her limbs and vital areas. There was an interesting looking staff next to her, it was silver and the ornament on top was hold with blue crystals adorning it. It must have fired some kind of projectile since there were no sharp ends on it. The woman's golden eyes were staring at him full of mirth while her lips were curled into an easygoing smile. She was definitely pretty and apparently full of confidence as well. Her voice sounded a lot more mature than she looked though._

 _"Indeed my Lady, I think he is," the other woman giggled. She looked like the other woman's twin actually. The features were basically the same though she wore her hair a lot longer than the other girl. She wore a type of dress that had a white top that looked like a robe and she wore these big red robes under that. She had a type of golden crown on her head and more importantly, Gil noticed a blue core right on her chest. She was a Blade? But she looked like the other girl's sister!_

 _"Lora! Haze!" Milton exclaimed and both girls giggled in response. Gil felt like laughing too but he had a feeling the person he was seeing through wasn't in the joyous mood._

 _"What's so funny? Did you all have fun without me?" Gil turned towards the new voice, which was obviously a man's but his head started aching when his gaze moved._

 _"Urg! What?!" Gil could barely keep his eyes open. He saw two figures; one was larger than the other by a lot._

 _"Please control yourself, Prince," The smaller figure was a…man? No, she was a young woman though Gil supposed she could pass for a man to the common Mongrel. She had blonde hair that was done up in a bob with a braid around it on the back of her head, most likely to keep it out of the way. She had strong green eyes that seemed full of amusement and annoyance at the same time. She wore blue dress with silver armor over it along with a regal cloak around her shoulders. She also had a golden crown sitting on top of her head. There was a simple looking sword on her hip with a blue handle and gold detailing. In her hand she also held a intricate lance that looked like the metal was woven around the handle up to the tip. Both weapons gave off a powerful energy that made Gil's headache worse. Who was this woman? And…why was his head hurting from just looking at her?!_

 _"I know but I'm curious, aren't you?" the other figure was much taller than the woman and he was the one who spoke earlier. He was clad in white robes that hid mostly everything about him; even his face was shrouded by a hood. The only thing Gil could make out was white and silver greaves and gauntlets._

 _Then he suddenly pulled his hood down and Gil's headache started becoming unbearable, it was like his brain was trying to eject him from this! What was going on!?_

 _"What?!" Gil's eyes widened when he saw the man's face. He was a young man in his twenties but…the striking resemblance to Rex was impossible to miss. His eyes, his face and his hair were all similar. The only difference was that his hair was silver instead of brown. But there was no mistake; he looked like Rex if he aged ten years._

 _Suddenly, Gil's mind just couldn't take it anymore, the pain increased tenfold. He…couldn't focus his vision was dimming, he tried to keep his vision focused but it just wouldn't stay. The person he was looking through seemed to be feeling it as well since a golden hand reached up to grasp his head. He…he thought he saw…the "older Rex's" eyes widen in shock and worry before he reached out to him. Then…_

"!" Gil's eyes opened and he sat up with a short gasp. He looked around frantically until he realized that he was awake and back at his camp. He took a deep breath to calm himself and he closed his eyes to until his mind was stable.

"Another dream…but…it was so real…" he thought to himself as he wiped the sweat from his forehead. He opened his eyes again and calmly looked around. The fire had died down to being mere embers now but there was still enough light to see clearly.

The old man was still asleep in Rex's helmet, not in the least bit disturbed. Gil nearly scoffed, he wondered why he was so tired since he wasn't even involved in the fighting. Maybe his small size meant he had the same amount of energy? Gil doubted that since he was still as bossy as ever.

His gaze drifted to Rex and he smiled when he saw the rather heartwarming scene. Rex was fast asleep with Nia using him as some form of pillow while Pyra was letting Rex use her chest as a form of pillow. They looked quite cozy with each other. Gil saw the way those two were going after him, especially that little show Pyra pulled with her fire or how Nia told Rex to share his blanket with her. Gil hoped those two didn't start outwardly fighting, he knew that Rex had not taken either of their advances in the romantic sense at all. He had no idea what he was in the middle of now. Gil would have to pay attention to make sure things didn't get out of hand.

"Mm…" Gil looked down and he flushed slightly when he saw that Mythra was lying down next to him. She was facing him and her hands were cutely cupped under her head.

"When did she move over here? She was sleeping next to the old man last time I checked," Gil was the last one to fall asleep, so he knew for a fact that she did not fall asleep next to him. They had a rather pleasant talk before and after they told Rex about the Berserker Chips. Some time after Rex fell asleep, Mythra wanted to sleep, so Gil gave her a pillow and a blanket and she went to sleep. She must have woken up and moved over to him but why?

"Mmm…" Mythra curled in more on herself as she rubbed her head into the pillow more. Gil had to admit that was cute. He felt a pull in the back of his head and he reached out attentively but he stopped himself before his hand touched her hair. He grabbed her blanket and pulled it over her more before he stood up. He stared at the blonde for a moment before he turned his gaze towards Tora and Poppi.

The Nopon and his Blade were still fast asleep with Poppi using her masterpon as a stuffed animal still. Gil smiled slightly before he walked over and laid his blanket over them before he went back over to his spot and sat on the log.

He opened his gate and pulled a pitcher and a cup out. He poured the contents of the pitcher, wine into the cup before he took a few gulps of it. He sighed in slight relief before his thoughts turned back to his dream.

That…was the most detailed dream he had ever had. They had been getting clearer but that one felt like he was actually there. Who were those people? Who was he seeing through? Why was he even having these visions in the first place? Gil groaned in annoyance as one of his hands found his face. He brought his hand away slowly before he took a few more gulps of his wine.

"Going to share that?" Gil sighed as he turned his gaze to the person next to him. Mythra was staring at him with an expectant look on her face.

"Why not, I could use the distraction," He rolled his eyes and opened his gate to produce another cup. Mythra smiled and she got up with the blanket still wrapped around her. She took a seat next to him and took the cup. Gil poured the wine for her and she took a sip before she sighed in satisfaction.

"Mm…it's been some time since I've had something like this," she looked thoughtful for a moment.

"I think the last time I had something like this was in…Mor Ardain," Gil chuckled slightly before he nodded towards the pitcher.

"Well the brand is from Mor Ardain," Gil always preferred their brand for some reason. The only other thing he liked more was a strange brand that he found in his treasury but he had no idea where it was from, he couldn't read the writing on the bottles.

"Small world," Mythra commented and Gil shrugged. They sat like that for a few moments before Mythra spoke again.

"You were shuffling around in your sleep," Gil wasn't too surprised, he imagined he was considering the dream he had and the headache it gave him. Thankfully the headache left the moment he woke up.

"I came over here because I thought I could calm you down," Mythra explained and Gil nodded. He supposed he could understand that she seemed to take some kind of liking to him it was mutual after all.

"Well I'm awake now, so it doesn't matter too much, the sun will be up in a hour or two anyway," Gil explained. Mythra frowned for some reason and Gil turned away.

"You gave your blanket to the Nopon and his little robot," Mythra commented and Gil nodded.

"What can I say, Tora's a smart kid and he's nice…for a Nopon anyway. Poppi's unique too, I can't wait to see what she'll be like later," Mythra giggled in response and he turned to her in question.

"You put on this big front like you could care less but you care don't you?" she teased and Gil rolled his eyes not at all phased by her.

"I wouldn't be protecting them if I did not," he said simply and she tilted her head at that. She was analyzing him, Gil would normally be annoyed but he felt like it was ok when she did it for some reason. He felt strange around her, he felt strange around Pyra too but this was a little different, he felt like he was drawn to Mythra in a sense. Gil was always a good judge of character and he felt like he could trust Mythra. That was why he made such a sudden move like allowing her into their group.

"Your friend, Rex is lucky to have you looking out for him," Mythra mentioned and Gil chuckled slightly.

"Well I've been doing it ever since we were kids, so I guess it makes sense that I'm still doing it now," Gil's always had Rex's back even if he was an idiot at times.

"You've been with him that long? Wait what am I saying, it makes sense from how you two act, you act like brothers," Mythra seemed surprised at first before she started connecting the dots.

Gil smiled softly as he recalled the time he first met Rex. It must have been at least eleven years ago already. He still remembered the time Corinne brought him in. He was quiet back then while Gil was…well he was different back then to put it lightly.

"Yes, we've known each other for eleven years or so now. The same person took us both in after we lost our respective parents. Rex stuck to me and well I guess that's just how it's been ever since. He's a good kid even if he's selfless to a fault," Gil wondered why he was saying all this to Mythra instead of Pyra but it felt right for some reason.

"Oh…you both don't have parents?" Mythra's tone darkened and Gil sighed. They both had sad stories but the sad thing was that among the other kids back home and orphans in general, it wasn't exactly uncommon. The atmosphere in the world was so ripe with conflict; they were part of the result.

"Yes…but I don't really feel like talking about that right now, it's a bit too personal right now," Gil meant no offense but he felt like going into the full details of his orphan status was a little too much even if he liked the blonde. Mythra seemed a little saddened by his response and he smiled.

"I wouldn't mind answering other things though…like my hobbies or my business…if you'll answer some questions I have for you of course," he offered and she smiled in response. They spent the rest of the night talking about small and silly things and Gil didn't regret any of it.

* * *

 **Shorter chapter to wrap up this little arc of the story, romance is in the air. Don't forget to review, follow and favorite!**


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